Pieces of The Past Bring Dreams For The Future
by smartkid37
Summary: Like something out of the movies, one of the Team's members finds himself caught up in the past - as he struggles to plan for the future - now that his has just taken on a whole new dimension. Will the team be able to help him? As they each struggle to process how it affects them individually - will they want to? Episode Tag: "Blackwater"
1. Prologue

_Thank you Shelbylou - for sorting through ideas with me until we got it where we wanted it to go-many moons ago._

_Thank you Gotta - awesome BETA_

_Both of you - rock!_

* * *

_September, 14th 2009_

It's an ordinary Monday for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service's Major Case Response Team – as they straggle in and try to get their minds in gear to face the beginning of another week of chasing bad guys and their clues to get justice for those killed or kidnapped or whatever other crime committed against them. Be it bad guy or good, so long as one or more parties happened to be Navy or Marine, the MCRT was prepared to help. Finding the big screen television that stood between Tony and Tim's desk already on, usually meant that the Team Leader was already here and this day was no different.

In fact, the only thing different about today barely registered on any of their minds as they arrived together this morning. After a minute, the difference seemed to register as they noticed that, instead of focusing on the work on his desk, the boss seemed to be watching the news. Once they noticed this, Tony and Tim's attention instantly moved over to what they were seeing, while Ziva's expression clearly said she didn't understand, though she too, turned to pay attention.

Though the volume was down to almost nothing, this was nothing unusual, unless it was a story pertinent to NCIS. What kept their attention focused there now, were the words on the screen along with the photos of a totaled car at the bottom of a ravine.

**_Car Crash Kills Last Remaining McAllister of McAllister Industries._**

Tony stopped moving, except for his hands as they reached for the remote and turned the volume up – so everyone could hear the telecaster.

_In a devastating car crash Friday night, Thomas McAllister died instantly from the sheer drop to the bottom of the ravine._

_The last surviving member of the family, and founder, owner and CEO of the multi-million dollar Airline, Beyond First Class, a business he built himself from the ground up, Mr. McAllister garnered the respect and support of the business community when five and a half years ago he was cleared of all suspicion in the death of his long missing brother, Brian McAllister._

_When the authorities cleared him, just two days after his brother's body was reported to authorities in January of 2005, Thomas turned his attention to fighting his father's will and what he firmly believed to be fraudulently gotten gains – by one Saleena Lockhart. _

_In March of 2005, Thomas McAllister made front page news when he won the court case overturning his father's revised will; that will had left the family fortune to the self-claimed psychic and tabloid astrology columnist, amounting to tens of millions of dollars. The court ruled in Thomas' favor, citing that due to his wife Elaine's death in 1993, the Senior McAllister had become so out of touch with reality in his pursuit of an after-life conversation with his wife that he was no longer of sound mind. _

_The unexpected disappearance of Senior McAllister's heir, Brian, in October 2002, seriously exacerbated that grief and compulsion, which had already been taken advantage of, by Ms. Lockhart; who led Mr. McAllister to believe that if he gave her every dime he had, she could bring his family back to him. It was just two weeks after Brian's disappearance when he changed his will. _

_Serious allegations of coercion and fraud were brewing against Ms. Lockhart before the court had handed down its verdict. With the threat of a tarnished reputation and the possibility of being ruined as a psychic, Ms. Lockhart withdrew her own petition against Thomas McAllister – leaving the court decision as the deciding factor in the case. _

_Shenandoah, Virginia residents were shocked when, just days after the court handed down its ruling, Thomas McAllister sold the family compound for an undisclosed sum. In yet another surprising move, Thomas McAllister relocated, although his exact address has never been disclosed. _

_After successfully salvaging his family's business, McAllister Avionics, from near bankruptcy, Thomas McAllister not only spent millions converting vacant, unwanted properties into homeless shelters and low income apartments, but also in buying low income housing that had been lost to bank foreclosures for unpaid taxes. He then returned them to the unfortunate former owner – through a rent-to-own system that promoted home ownership and a sense of pride in the community in which he chose to support._

_By focusing not only on his business, Beyond First Class Airlines, and the family's business, McAllister Avionics and McAllister Industries, but also the community, helping where ever he could, Thomas McAllister was soon well known as a caring, honest business man. When he began spending every Thanksgiving and Christmas helping to serve the homeless at the local shelters, his character stopped being questioned. Something had turned him around from his earlier carefree days of misdemeanor offenses that never amounted to a charge that stuck. His focus seemed to remain on providing jobs for the unemployed and shelter for the homeless and sound business for his employees. _

_Though never married, Mr. McAllister was seen on more than one occasion accompanied by a beautiful brunette as he traveled about in D.C. and New York. Speculation and rumors flew when it was observed that Mr. McAllister never brought a date with him to any of his business functions, however he refused to comment on the subject._

_Thomas McAllister will be laid to rest today, alongside his family at Mt. Royal Cemetery. Funeral Services begin at 1 at St. Mary's Episcopal Church on 1st and E Street in Washington, D.C. Metro police and County Sheriff's department personnel will be on hand to help with crowd control, as they're expecting a large turnout for this self-made business man and philanthropist._

_As one fellow business man stated. "The world lost a gem when Thomas McAllister died. He will be greatly missed."_

"_This is Cindy Ames reporting live from Devil's Canyon."_

Tony clicked the remote, turning the television off, yet he remained frozen in his place, his face unreadable as memories flooded his brain. He remembered that case – he remembered Thomas McAllister – but, most of all he remembered how taken with him Kate had been. She'd made fun of the name of the man's business – but had been quick to take it back.

_KATE: Beyond First Class, you gotta be kidding me. You might as well call it Rich Jackass Airways. _  
_TONY: I think it sounds cool_.  
_KATE: You would. _  
_TONY: What's that supposed to mean? _  
_KATE: Nothing, Rockefeller. _  
_TONY: Oh, I get it. So because I grew up with money that somehow makes me bad. Very deep._  
_KATE: Well, it's better than having to work every day like I had to. _  
_TONY: Listen, do you think money makes life easier? Huh? Everything was just a big ol' cakewalk for little Anthony DiNozzo? You tell me, Kate, because I really want to know.  
_  
_KATE: I'm sorry, Tony. I didn't mean anything by it. _  
_TONY: Because do you want to know the answer to your question? Yes. Money makes a huge difference. Huge. I miss it every single day of my life so much it makes me want to cry. _  
_KATE: You're pathetic. _  
_TONY: It's part of my charm. _  
_KATE: Yeah. _  
_TONY: All right, let's find this little twinkle toes ….Hey, there. We're looking for your boss, Thomas McAllister. Is he around?  
_  
_THOMAS: You'll have to hold on a second. Could you pass me that socket wrench, please, Miss?_  
_KATE: Is he even here or shall we stop by a country club or something?_  
_THOMAS: I'm Tom McAllister._  
_TONY: Agents Todd, DiNozzo. NCIS._  
_KATE: Do you always work on your own planes, Mister McAllister?_  
_THOMAS: Whenever I can find time in my busy social schedule down at the club, Agent Todd._  
_KATE: I'm sorry about that. I didn't…_  
_THOMAS: It's fine. You would have been right a couple years ago. And please, call me Tom._  
_KATE: Kate. So, do you own all these planes?_  
_THOMAS: Me and the bank. That's my new one out there. I plan on taking it for a test flight today if you're interested.  
_  
_TONY: You don't seem too broken up for a guy who just lost his brother, Tom._  
_THOMAS: I've known he's been dead for quite some time, Agent DiNozzo. The first week you expect a ransom note. After a month you pray. A year… you just know.  
_  
_KATE: When was the last time you talked to your brother?_  
_THOMAS: About three months before the accident. Would you believe we grew up fishing at Black Lake?_

The guy had flown Kate to New York City in his own plane, almost the minute he'd been cleared of any wrong doing in his brother's death.

_THOMAS: You up for that dessert now? _  
_KATE: At two thirty in the morning? _  
_THOMAS: I think I might know a place that's still open. _  
_KATE: And where would that be? _  
_THOMAS: New York. Sometimes it's good to own your own airline. _  
_TONY: New York? I love New York. _  
_KATE: It's a small plane, Tony. _  
_THOMAS: Maybe next time._

Yet, Kate had never said another word about him. Still something in that news report niggled at the back of Tony's mind.

_Though never married, Mr. McAllister was seen accompanied by a beautiful brunette on more than one occasion as he traveled about in D.C. and New York._

Nah, it couldn't have been Kate. _Could it have been? _He remembered giving her a hard time about being in a dating slump soon after the McAllister case. She'd fended him off with a biting comeback in her usual way so he'd thought nothing of it. _But what if the reason she'd thrown him off so quickly was because…._ With a mental head slap to himself, Tony shook it off. It didn't matter, did it? Kate was killed just months later. God, he still missed her sometimes.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked at him from across the room.

"Yeah, Boss?" Tony asked as he slowly returned to the here and now.

"Quit standin' there and get to work!"

"On it, Boss." Tony answered in his typical response, shoving this entire scenario to the back of his mind. Glancing over at the probie, he frowned. It looked as though the news report had gotten to him too, though the younger man was already sitting at his desk. The fact that his fingers weren't flying across the keyboard doing anything spoke volumes of the fact that Tony was right.

Before he could say anything, he felt the glare of the boss from across the room. Looking over at the man, Tony nodded. Okay, he'd get to work. Distraction had for the day, it was time for things to get back to business as usual.

***NCIS****


	2. Chapter 1

_September 15th, 2009_

Like any other boring Tuesday without a new case, this one seemed to be dragging along like a snail, occasionally finding a bit of speed, managing to move along at a more moderate clip, thanks to the usual antics of the Senior Field Agent. Currently the man was lobbing yet another paper ball in the direction of the seriously working Ziva Da'vid and Tim McGee, at the same time, his arms lurching simultaneously in their directions.

_***Thwack***_

Tony's head bounced as the after-shock of the nicely timed head-slap caught him unawares. Without missing a beat, he stammered out his typical response, even while scurrying to pick up the white minefield he'd single-handedly created over the past hour. "Thank you, Boss. Sorry. Cleaning it up now, Boss."

"You wanna per_fect _your clown act, DiNozzo, go join the circus!" Gibbs admonished him while walking on through the squad room to his desk.

"Yes, Boss." Tony answered meekly.

"You are joining the circus, Tony?" Ziva questioned in mock surprise.

"Funny, Ziva. Real funny." Her teammate in the hot seat griped.

"I thought most circus acts were supposed to be funny." She replied with a straight face.

Gibbs smirked from behind his coffee cup as he drank from it. Even Tim huffed out a laugh while he continued to work. It was always funny to see Ziva bring Tony down a peg just with her play on words. She seemed to have perfected it into an art.

Work resumed in the silence that quickly settled around them and for the rest of the morning the only disturbance in the MCRT squad room was the arrival of the mail clerk, heading straight for Tim, one business-sized envelope in hand.

"Hey, Dave. What's shakin'?" Tony asked before the young man reached Tim's desk.

"Hey, Agent DiNozzo. How's it goin?" The younger man asked as he continued on to Tim's desk.

"That for me?" Tony asked in that humorous tone of his that insisted he must be right because the possibility that he wasn't, was just too funny for words. "Cause McGee never gets anything important, ya know?"

Shaking his head at the Field Agent's laughing assumption, the young man stopped in front of Tim's desk. "Agent McGee, there's a registered letter for you. You'll need to sign the verification that you personally accepted receipt of this from me."

Tim looked up from his work and stood to walk around his desk. He accepted the letter, signed for it and thanked the mail clerk quietly. The younger man disappeared from the squad room, leaving Tim frozen in place, holding the letter as if he was afraid of what he'd find inside.

"McGee!" The boss called out as he noticed his agent drifting away in his thoughts while he stood there.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Boss." Tim offered quietly as he returned to his desk and sat down. Without another word, the young man locked the envelope away in his drawer and got back to work.

Always curious enough to kill an alley full of cats, Tony's eyes lit up at this new challenge that had _personal_ written all over it with the need for Tim's signature. Sliding his chair back, he leaned forward just enough to get put pressure on his feet and lean forward just enough to….

"Don't even think about it, DiNozzo." The boss warned from across the room without taking his eyes off the file folder he was reading.

Effectively shut down before he could even get started, Tony looked over at the now smiling Ziva and frowned. He hated it when she found amusement at his expense, especially when it stemmed from being shut down by the boss in front of his teammates. Looking over at the probie, he expected to see him watching Tony with a smile of his own while he gloated just long enough for Tony to see him doing it.

What he found instead, deepened the frown already on his face. There was no trace of humor anywhere on that face, a study in concentration from what Tony could see of the younger man's profile. Tim's attention remained fixed on the file in front of him. With a sigh of resignation, Tony settled back into his chair and got back to work. Maybe he'd be able to satisfy his curiosity after work.

*****NCIS******

Lunchtime rolled around eventually and Tony and Ziva headed out together, both needing to get out of the office. With promises to return in an hour with lunch for both the boss and the youngest team member, they were soon gone as the elevator closed and descended, taking them away. As soon as the other two were gone, Gibbs stood from his chair and headed out with his coffee cup, in pursuit of yet another refill as Tim, meanwhile, set the file down on his desk and stopped pretending to work.

He'd barely gotten anything done all morning. The letter from a law firm he'd never heard of before today, had been on his mind no matter what else he'd tried to get done. Looking them up online when Tony had gone off to have his break several hours ago, Tim had discovered that it was a Family Law and Estate Settlement firm. That insight had set up a wave of dread in his gut that had sat there like a lead weight all day.

Now standing up to stretch his back, Tim took the letter out, holding it almost as if it would shatter in his hands, while his thoughts ran amuck with possibilities. A shadow crossed in front of him some time later, causing him to blink to clear his vision and glance in the direction of the movement, only to discover the boss standing in front of his desk, watching him closely.

"You _can _open it, McGee." The Team Leader told him dryly as he stopped in front of the young man's desk.

"I know." Tim answered quietly with a short nod.

"You already know what it's about?" Gibbs inquired with a touch of surprise.

"No." Tim's answer was unusually short, yet still quiet as if he couldn't bring himself to talk any louder.

"That why you've been worryin' about it all mornin'?"

Busted, Tim immediately went into his apology mode, but before he could get a word out, the boss was shaking his head to cut him off at the pass.

"Just open it, McGee. Won't know 'til ya do."

"I know." Tim answered back without making any move toward opening the letter.

"What's got you so worried about this?"

"It's a firm that settles estates, Boss. "

"And?"

"And it's marked 'urgent'."

"Doesn't explain why you're not opening it."

"No one in my family has died." The young man worried aloud.

"That you know of." Gibbs replied, almost without thinking.

Tim's face lost a little color at that possibility.

Gibbs went back to his desk, talking to his agent over his shoulder while he walked. "Just open the damned thing, McGee."

Nodding slightly in agreement, Tim used his letter opener to rip it open at the seam and set the tool down. Pulling the letter out, he breathed out deeply and opened it up, casting his eyes to the top of the page immediately.

His breath froze in his chest as his eyes found the line that spelled out the estate the letter was in reference to. His knees failed him and only his desk chair saved him from hitting the floor as he stared at the letter sight unseen now.

" McGee?"

Gibbs' concerned voice barely registered on Tim in his fog of confusion. _Why the heck would they be wanting to talk to **me**?_

"Tim! Is it someone in your family?" The Team Leader's strident voice pulled him back from the fog that seemed to be enveloping him.

As he shook his head in silent reply, he lost some of his grip on the paper and it folded over on itself as only two of his fingers held it now.

Quickly making his way back over to the young man's desk, the Team Leader attempted to ground his agent with a firm hand clamped to his shoulder. "Talk to me!"

Still, Tim couldn't find the words. As he stared sight unseeing at the folded letter in his hand, all he could do was blink owlishly in disbelief.

"Damn it, McGee! **Who**?"

Blinking again to focus, Tim looked his boss straight on as he answered him in a voice that shook.

"Kate."


	3. Chapter 2

With unsteady hands, Tim handed the letter to the now equally shocked Team Leader and ran a shaking hand over his face while he tried to calm himself. _Surely there had to be a reasonable explanation for this. Why would the family of the agent they'd lost more than four years ago want anything to do with the one person who'd come close to dying in her place? And why contact him through a law firm?_

Sliding the letter back to his agent's desk, Gibbs stepped away, intent on heading back to his own work space. "Call 'em, Tim" He said in that tone that, while quiet, invoked the knowledge that it was an order he fully expected to be followed. There was no way he could let another minute go by without getting to the bottom of this; especially if it was an actual ploy meant to entrap Tim into something that meant bad news for the young man he still felt protective of.

Still without words to say, Tim exhaled deeply as he picked up his cell phone and put the number from the letter into it, hit the call button and waited for it to ring. As he waited, Tim kept his eyes plastered to his desk, unwilling to scrutinize the older man's reactions to such an unexpected pull back to the pain from their past. It was bad enough, he could see out of the corner of his eye, as the boss stared at his computer monitor, that he was breathing hard, trying to pull himself back together after the shock he'd just been given.

Gibbs couldn't stop his mind from running the gambit as he looked over at his agent forcing himself to make the call. The kid was beyond rattled and who could blame him? None of them had forgotten how close he'd come to being the one that didn't come home that god-awful day. It was pretty much a given that he'd be worried that that realization might have something to do with this, strange as it may seem. After all, they'd seen countless incidents of stranger motivations than that for things happening. _Who from Kate's family would want something from McGee? What did they want from him? Why would the family of his fallen agent be reaching out to the one they'd come damned close to losing that day, possibly in her place, now – over four years later? Surely, they weren't lookin' for…._

His agent's snapping his phone shut dragged the Team Leader from his thoughts and he watched as Tim stuffed the thing into his pocket, a nervous look on his face.

"When?" Gibbs asked without mincing words, his firm disbelief in coincidences playing heavily on his thought pattern, which was well on its way to that of becoming full out wariness.

"After work today." Tim answered the same way, looking over at the boss.

"_When_, McGee?" Gibbs' sharper tone spoke clearly of his aggravation that Tim wasn't being specific enough.

"Six o'clock" Tim answered, almost as if he were afraid of Gibbs' finding out the actual time of the meeting. He stuffed the letter back into the envelope and folded it three times, shoving it deep down into the front pocket of his pants, as if trying to make sure no one could get their hands on it.

"Kinda late for a lawyer's office" Gibbs reminded him.

The Team Leader's remark clued Tim in to where the man's mind was headed and he wanted to quickly ease the man's concern. Deliberately infusing his tone with reassurance, he offered the explanation he had. "They're willing to accommodate my work schedule, Boss."

"I'm goin' with ya." The boss directed with all seriousness.

Looking at the man for a long silent minute, Tim remained silent. Finally, as Tony and Ziva returned to the squad room with lunch for himself and the boss, the junior agent broke off his gaze and moved, offering a subdued explanation for where he was headed. "Excuse me, need to use the head."

It wasn't until after Tim had left the squad room that the boss realized his agent hadn't agreed to the boss going with him to the lawyer's office.

*****NCIS*****

Five forty-five that afternoon found Tim deeply exhaling as he turned off the car, now that he'd reached the lawyer's office parking lot. _Wow. Having your own parking lot in D.C. must mean the business is doing great. _Tim winced at that out-of-nowhere thought as it crossed his mind. _What did that have to do with anything? Means wealthy clients, Tim. Maybe whoever wanted you here is one of those wealthy clients. What did it matter if Kate's family was wealthy? He didn't have anything or any reason for them to sue him. He hadn't done anything wrong that day. It **wasn't** his fault she'd been murdered!_

"Hey!" Gibbs' barked tone from the passenger seat brought Tim back from his plethora of unsettling thoughts and questions. It had taken him a long time to get past the survivor's guilt he'd felt, especially since he'd always felt that Tony, in at least some small way, also blamed him over Kate's death, too. Deliberately shoving all that down where it belonged, under the carpet covering the vault that filled a little more with every troubling case they solved, Tim looked over at the man, only to find himself the subject of that look that asked if he was just gonna sit there all day or get movin' and get the job done. Nodding, he took the keys out of the ignition and got out of the car, walking through the parking lot with the boss by his side.

It had been a silent ride over from the Navy Yard with Tim being too preoccupied with everything - from worry about what Kate's family could want from him, to wondering what the boss was thinking - to say anything to the man. Obviously, the Team Leader had figured that much out for himself, or had also been buried under questions that had sprung to mind. Since neither was much of a talker around the other, the silence had settled in comfortably for the ride.

Breathing in and out in a deliberateness that he hoped would calm his nerves, Tim found himself glad the boss was here, even though, deep down in his heart he wished the man had listened to him and not come at all. The few words spoken on the subject earlier obviously hadn't made much of an impression on him.

_**Flashback**_

_As Tony and Ziva exchanged looks of outright curiosity while Tim returned to the squad room after a mere two minutes in the head, Tim only briefly glanced their way while heading directly to his desk. He knew they'd silently watched the team probie disappear from the squad room after staring at the boss for a long silent minute, _

"_McGee!" Gibbs' tone stopped the young man in his tracks and he turned to see what the boss wanted from him, only to find himself staring into those cobalt blue orbs that looked more than a little angry. "Boss?"_

_From where he now stood next to the agent he wanted answers from. Gibbs growled. "There a reason you don't want me there?"_

_Tim swallowed hard as he blinked. Looking the man straight on, he answered him from his heart._

"I just thought you'd suffered enough over her death, Boss."

_Now it was the Team Leader who blinked and swallowed hard enough that his Adam's apple moved, leaving Tim feeling disappointed in himself that he hadn't found a better way of answering the man's question. After a long silent minute in which neither of them moved, the boss nodded his unspoken acceptance of the answer he'd been given before gesturing for Tim to continue on to his desk,that patented unreadable expression on his face._

_**End Flashback**_

That had been the last word spoken on the subject, despite the amazingly quiet looks of abject curiosity that still remained on the faces of his teammates. It had been as if the silent order had been given for things to remain unspoken, though no such directive had been issued.

"Hey!" At the sound of the boss barking at him yet again, Tim glanced at the man standing at the door of the building waiting for him to pull himself together.

"Sorry."

With a _**thwack**_ delivered to the back of his head, Tim's head moved, yet his heart warmed. He was suddenly **very** glad the man was here with him. He just hoped this wouldn't be as painful for him as Tim feared it would be. "Thanks, Boss."

Together they silently stepped inside and Tim led the way to the Receptionist's desk and quietly introduced himself. The slim, cheerful woman, who could have been his mother, obviously had been expecting him, though she seemed to balk at the sight of Gibbs. Recovering quickly, she led them down a short hallway to a room that resembled their own conference rooms.

"Why don't you have a seat? Mr. Cartwright will be with you shortly. I'm Mrs. Beetle and if there's anything you need, just let me know. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Ice water?"

"No, thank you." Tim replied nervously as Gibbs offered his own polite refusal in the slight shake of his head.

"Alright. Mr. Cartwright extends his apologies, but he's been unavoidably delayed on a three way conference call. He'll be with you as soon as he can."

"That's okay." Tim offered even as he twiddled his thumbs on the table in front of him nervously.

Looking at Gibbs now, Mrs. Beetle frowned slightly. "I don't believe Mr. Cartwright was expecting anyone to accompany Agent McGee to this meeting. May I have your name so I may inform him that you're here ?"

"NCIS Special Agent Gibbs." The obviously serious-minded man answered without batting an eye.

"I see. Alright. I will let Mr. Cartwright know you're both waiting for him. I'm sure he'll be with you shortly." Mrs. Beetle left, her demeanor taking on a nervous look as she closed the door, leaving the two agents alone in the room.

*****NCIS*****

It seemed like hours went by before the door opened again, this time revealing a tall, lanky man who could have been Tony's older twin brother. With a seemingly genuine smile, he spoke, his hand outstretched toward Tim's .

"Hello. I'm Stephen Cartwright. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I do apologize for keeping you waiting."

Tim stood and shook the man's hand, "Hello. Don't worry about the wait. I understand"

Looking toward the silent Team Leader who had also stood at his entrance to the room, the lawyer offered his hand out as well.

Though wary of what this was about, Gibbs shook the man's hand, though said nothing.

"I'm sure receiving our letter must have been a surprise." Stephen sympathized as he took his seat at the head of the table , which put the agents to his left.

"The registered letter?" Tim asked almost distractedly as his nerves tightened like a bow. "Yeah, it was definitely that."

"Not as much as who this is about." Gibbs finally spoke, his eyes nearly boring holes through the lawyer's head.

"I'm sure." Stephen replied with what sounded like understanding. "Well, let me start by telling you that, as you've probably already realized, we are a law firm that handles family law and estate settling."

At Tim's silent nod, the lawyer looked at Gibbs. "I don't mean to be rude, Agent Gibbs, is it – but this is a highly personal matter and…"

"Kate and I worked together." Tim interjected painfully, his voice belying his emotions on the subject.

"Yes. I'm aware of that." Stephen kindly replied with a quietness that proved he did sympathize.

"For me." Gibbs added; his own voice rock steady by sheer force of will.

Stephen Cartwright blinked.

*****NCIS*****

Fifteen minutes later found both agents and lawyer alike, breathing a little easier. Being so bold as to having asked for and listened to why the Team Leader had felt it necessary to accompany the younger man to the appointment, Mr. Cartwright had watched in amazement as the older man had nodded at his subordinate, who then launched into the explanation. When presented with the reasons the Agents were wary of this summons, Mr. Cartwright apologized profusely for any undue worry – which of course, all their worry had been – on the subject of their dearly departed Kate and the letter regarding her estate – that had brought them here tonight.

"I assure you, the reason for this meeting is nothing sinister, but rather, as, this law firm specializes in, one that involves family. In this case, I must adhere to the wishes of my client, recently departed as he is, may God Rest his soul." Mr. Cartwright mournfully explained as he extricated an envelope from the file that, moments ago, he'd reached across the space between the table and his desk and pulled it off the top of the small stack of files sitting there. "This should explain everything. If it doesn't, please feel free to ask any questions you have. For now, I shall leave you to read and digest it – in private."

"Wait, Mr. Cartwright?" Tim jumped in with a burning question. "You said recently departed? Kate died more than for four years ago."

"Yes, Agent McGee, that is unfortunately correct. However, sadly enough, just four days ago, her husband did too."


	4. Chapter 3

_A/N: We apologize for the delay in updating. Christmas is a time to spend with family. We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday._

* * *

Too stunned for words, neither agent made a move to look at what was inside the envelope Mr. Cartwright had left on the table for Tim. _Kate was married? When did she do that? Why hadn't she ever said anything? Well, she did say she wouldn't even ever let Tony know where she lived. But to not tell us she was married? Wait, if she wouldn't tell us that much about herself and I'm sitting here at her family lawyer's - at her husband's request – what the heck else didn't she tell us?_

With that last question burning a hole in his brain, Tim reached for the envelope with a shaking hand. Carefully pulling the folded pieces of paper from their enclosure, the young man swallowed hard as he unfolded them and quickly glanced up and down the front page. It was typed and the signature at the bottom wasn't one he recognized. Glancing back up at the top of the expensive copy paper, he noted the date: _Nov. 1, 2005_ -_ six months after Kate's death._

*****NCIS******

Impatient and with his heart up around his Adam's apple, Gibbs fairly growled at his junior agent. "McGee!" It had been several minutes since the lawyer had left the room – leaving them to read this in peace and the older man's patience was already on thin ice.

In a reflexive knee-jerk reaction, Tim dropped the letter, the resulting momentum it carried sending it skidding along the table top in the Team Leader's direction without Tim having even registered a word that was in it.

Watching the boss read it, seeing the man's silent reaction, noting the grip on the edges of the paper were tightening briefly before loosening up, only to tighten again, while his eyes blinked over and over, as if trying too hard to hold something back, Tim felt his own heart pound in his chest. _What could Kate and her husband – when had she married? Whom? Why hadn't she ever said anything to them? What could they want with him, the team probie? _

Suddenly, the older man dropped the letter as if it were a hot potato in his hands, and was on his feet, as Tim watched in sadness while the man took himself over to the large window on the wall behind the desk. As his eyes went back to the letter, Tim realized he still had the second sheet of paper in his own hands and hadn't even looked at it yet.

With a release of pent-up breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding in, Tim reached across the table and brought the first page of the letter back to him, picking it up, he opened it back up and finally focused enough to read the words written there.

_Agent Tim McGee:_

_Though we've never met, I've been told you and that boss of yours were extremely instrumental in helping clear up the mystery surrounding my brother's death – and incidentally clearing me of any wrong-doings with his tragic accident- though the grief of bugging him to come home - a trip that cost him his life - will forever remain my cross to bear. _

_Contrary to what others might have said or believed – most notably, that Lockhart woman - I loved Brian deeply, though it was no secret we didn't see life the same way._

_I apologize. That's not why you're here in my family lawyer's office, reading this. However, I feel I must extend long over-due yet still deeply felt gratitude and thanks for all you and your team did for our family's name. You did all you could to get the truth and justice for Brian, despite what that crackpot crook of a private eye tried to do. My beautiful wife assures me it will be gratitude appreciated just the same. I should have thanked you all long ago for clearing my name, though you weren't focused on that. For that oversight, I am sorry._

_Yes, by now, your memory has served you well and you realize I am Thomas McAllister. Maybe even by now, you've come to realize that when, in speaking of my beautiful wife, I am in actuality speaking of your team's beloved Kate Todd. Though ours was a whirlwind romance, it was also one that blossomed completely out of sight of the public and with sound reasoning._

_I'm certain that by now, you're busting out at the seams to know why we've requested that you meet with our family lawyer, not to mention, why the registered letter you received made no mention of Kate's married name. The reason is simple. Kate._

_Blame it on her Secret Service training or her sense of the extreme need for caution. The same can be said of the reason that neither trace nor photo of her and I together in which she could be identified was ever available for the taking. Unlike most happily married couples, our happiness was confined to the privacy of our home, with its shuttered windows and privacy fencing._

_You see, Kate was worried, not that I could blame her, - almost to the extreme – that as the sole heir to my family's estate, fortune and business holdings, I was a prime candidate for foul play – and her marriage to me would only be food for the fool who attempted such. She wanted no such chances taken. She wanted us to be happy together forever._

_Yet, sadly, she was the one taken from me – at the hands of a merciless, cold-hearted bastard who didn't even belong in this country. Yes, it still angers me down to the depths of my soul that I lost my beloved wife in the way that she died. But, I must get through writing this, as one of her last requests that I must honor. She's been gone six months and I'm just now ready to do the second hardest thing she ever asked me to do; the first being to continue on without her._

_Now, where was I? Oh, yes. Protection. Such is the reason for the secrecy, even now after we have both passed. I did, however, convinced her to provide you with full disclosure of what she decided to ask of you – the person she decided is the right person to ask. _

_I must admit, Agent McGee, that I fought her on this. Truth be told, it was the only thing we ever truly fought about beyond your typical initial disagreement, if you know what I mean. You must understand I did not know you as she did. However, in the end – when push came to shove – I found myself seeing her point of view, which is why you are reading this and are about to read the letter Kate left for you._

_Please honor our last request to the best of your ability, Agent McGee – for it is a request not made lightly or easily or without much thought._

_And by all means, do NOT attempt to honor it alone. Ask for and accept all the help you can get, but never doubt or forget _**you**_ were chosen because of the faith Kate had in _**you**_._

_With Deepest Respect,  
Thomas McAllister._

_CEO and President: McAllister Industries and McAllister Avionics  
Founder, Owner, CEO and President: Beyond First Class Airlines. _

Letting the first page fall to the table, Tim's eyes slammed shut in thinking overload as his mind flew in all directions. _What could they possibly want him to do that would require so much help? Would that god-awful day ever stop coming back to haunt him? _With shaking fingers, he unfolded the second letter, unaware the boss had come away from the window to stand at his side until the man laid a supportive hand on Tim's shoulder, obviously reading quite accurately into Tim's frayed nerves.

Swallowing hard, Tim straightened the paper, making sure to hold it at an angle that made it possible for the boss to read it as well. He blinked rapidly to hold back the rush of unwelcomed tears as his eyes found the greeting scrawled in Kate's beautiful penmanship at the top of the page, along with the date.

_May 1st, 2005._

_Hey, Tim:_

_I'm sure Tony's standing behind you, reading this over your shoulder with you, having bullied you into letting him come to the lawyer's office with you. Or maybe Abby? No, wait, with the way his mind works, it's most likely Gibbs. That would be good. It's okay. I understand and am actually glad they're finally being supportive of you. I know I should have been more so – and less of the one egging on Tony's unkindness when you first joined the team._

_But, that's not why you're here and it's certainly not why you will ever be reading this. By now, you've been hit by the double whammy of the unexpected summons to show up here which gave you the news that I was married before I died; not to mention the letter from my husband, Thomas – and probably whatever news story hit the airwaves after he died. Please tell me he did not suffer – that his death was instant. -. _

_Sorry. Lost myself for a minute there. Where was I? Oh, right - I won't apologize for keeping this secret. I did it to protect my family – not only the one at home – but also the one I work with every single day. I could not risk someone with a grudge (I've lost count of the number of people Gibbs pissed off on a daily basis) using one against the other. I know you can understand the need for such caution. I know I can trust that all of you on Team Gibbs will eventually come to understand my reasons – especially if you stop long enough to put the shoe on the other foot and ask yourselves – would I have done it any differently? _

_The bottom line is this, Tim. I love my job – but my family is my life._

He couldn't read any more, his vision clouded as he closed his eyes against the onslaught of tears, but he couldn't suppress the shudder that rippled through him. Her family had been her life, yet her job had cost her that life – in his place. Knowing the survivor's guilt was creeping back on him again, he forced his mind to refocus – on Gibbs. The man had just been dealt another knife twist to the heart over Kate's death – the very thing Tim had been afraid of happening – Tim wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere and disappear.

Surprisingly enough the hand on his shoulder didn't disappear, but rather, clamped down on him with even more of a show of support as the gruff voice moved him. "Finish it, Tim."

Nodding as he swallowed hard around the lump in his throat, Tim sent his eyes back to the page, finding the place where he'd left off reading:

_You're reading this because my husband has come to join me. Which goes without saying that I've already gone on. If my life was lost on the job – please let it be known – without a shadow of a doubt – that I do not want ANYONE to carry blame for my death. Not a single minute wasted on feeling responsible. Do you hear me TIM? Just like you did with Erin Kendall, you've probably done the same thing to yourself over my death. Stop!_

_Now. Let's get to the point of all this, shall we?_

_Tim, of all the people I know love and trust, of all the people I can think of, I can think of no one else I'd rather entrust with my legacy._

_I know it may overwhelm you to hear that and certainly to take on the responsibility – but I have complete faith and trust in you and your inherent honesty, compassion and gentleness._

_I hear those cogs in your head turning, Tim. The questions are coming faster than you can think of the possible answers. Why you? Why not my family? Why not my Secret Service friends?_

_The answers are quite simple, really. Tom and I never managed to get the support of my family behind us. I won't go into the why or why not - all you need to know is that no one in my family is an option. My brothers - all 3 of them - are more juvenile and self-absorbed than DiNozzo; my sister has told me often enough that she'd never be able to do something like this and regardless of their support or not, my parents are too far up there in years to be a good choice. _

_And none of my Secret Service friends are ready to take on the responsibility. Especially one not planned for well ahead of time._

_Which brings us back to you, Tim. With everything I believe in, I have faith in you. You can do this because you're smart enough to know when to ask for help and you're caring enough to make sure you do before you get into trouble with something. That is why I know I can trust you with all I have left in this world._

_Please look after my legacy, to the best of your ability - and with all the help you can get - but do it with the deep down unquestionable knowledge, that I asked you because I know you're capable and the best person to ask._

_You're a wonderful person - especially on the inside where it counts - and I know I can count on you._

_With love and respect:_

_Kate Todd McAllister_

_P.S. Tell DiNozzo he'd better not show up here anytime soon. In fact, none of you had better not even think about it!_

Setting the letter down on the table in front of him, Tim scrubbed a shaking hand over his face as his brain scrambled to put the pieces together and process what Kate had written. It didn't make any sense without knowing what exactly it was she wanted him to take care of. _All she had left in the world? Her sketches? Why would he need so much help looking after them? Did she have them in a gallery somewhere like paintings? No, he wouldn't need everyone's help with that. Wait! She said 'family' not 'husband'! Could she have meant...? Nah! She wasn't pregnant before she died or she would have asked to be taken out of the field and given desk duty. So, then what did...?_

"I think you're ready to see the first thing Kate wanted you to see after you read what she and Tom had to say." The lawyer's unexpected voice came from behind them where he stood in the now open doorway, his hands holding what looked like two books; one over-sized,in both height and width compared to the other much smaller one.

Walking to the table, Stephen Cartwright set both down on the table. "Take your time. I'll check on you again in a while." With that minimal explanation, the man was gone once more, closing the door behind him as he left out.

Gibbs brought himself back to his chair, sitting down once again as he reached for the items, - sliding the smaller book off the larger one, which now could be plainly seen as a photo album. Tim had yet to move a muscle, too shocked with this seemingly never-ending wave of surprises from the past. His eyes didn't even register what the larger book was before the boss opened the front cover. Gibbs' next breath was sharply indrawn before he expelled it on a pain filled sigh. "Oh, Kate!"

Not wanting to crowd the man, Tim looked over from where he sat. What he was seeing left no doubt what Kate was asking of him was indeed huge. With handwritten words, most of it scrawled in Kate's beautiful penmanship, the unmistakable purpose of the photo album – the full picture of what Kate was asking him to take on - twisted his heart.

_Kathleen Alicia McAllister  
D.O.B.: 10/25/2005 (through gestational surrogacy)  
Natural Parents – Thomas & Kate McAllister_


	5. Chapter 4

Tim noticed two things right away about the child's birthdate information; one that it hadn't been written in Kate's handwriting and two; that the date of birth having been in October meant that her child had been born months after Kate's death. _Wait! So, Kate never even got to see her own child? How horrible!_

Gibbs turned the page, his face unreadable. What they found there explained it all – in the same instant that it stabbed them in the heart. Centered in the middle of the page was a photograph of Kate and Tom flanking a woman who could have been Kate's older sister, they looked so much alike. The handwritten caption under the photo did the explaining.

_March 2005  
Tom and I with the answer to our prayers – Deanna Gordon. our gestational surrogate host!  
Our baby's first trimester – expected D.O.B. – October 20, 2005  
Thank you so much Deanna for agreeing to do this for us._

The next few pages were full of similar photos and captions – each depicting another month into the pregnancy and each with a handwritten note in Kate's writing - with the painful absence – in the photo taken in early June - of Kate. The note written at the bottom must have been Tom's, since it was definitely a man's writing – the message one of sorrow mixed with continued hope for the future.

_June 2005  
Me and Deanna - in her fifth month - our family's first without Kate  
Kate's gone now.  
Taken from our family long before her time. - 5/25/2005  
Our family will go on – as Kate wanted – with our baby still healthy and expected in October.  
I know Kate is watching – smiling down on us right now  
– making sure we go through with our plans for a wonderful future for our child  
– and for Kate we **will** follow through.  
This was her dream for us and I will not let go of it  
– even though she's no longer here to follow it with me. _

Gibbs let go of the book and got up, once more taking himself over to the window. _Why hadn't she said anything? Why didn't she take more precautions on the job? _Glancing back over at the book on the table, he was brought back to the more pressing problems at hand when his eyes took in the sight of his agent staring down, not at the photo album, but at the smaller book still on the table in front of him, obviously trying to take all of this in.

Watching silently as Tim picked up the smaller book, the Team Leader felt a spear of pride run through him at the young man's stoicism under the stress of all these unexpected turns of events. What he was seeing was a steely foray into the emotional minefield they'd just been thrown onto and Tim had yet to complain or even buckle under the strain of discovering this was leading to the most monumental of responsibilities – for a lifetime.

"Gentlemen?" Mr. Cartwright stood in the doorway once more as he interrupted them again. "I do apologize for intruding , but it's getting late and I really do need to know."

"Not tonight." Gibbs argued back without hesitation and in the tone he used when he wasn't willing to be argued with.

"But…?"

"You weren't expectin' Tim to be ready for something like this - without any warning."

"No, you're right, Agent Gibbs. I wasn't" The Lawyer replied soothingly. "I thought, though, perhaps you'd at least like to meet her tonight."

"No." Gibbs replied instantly yet firmly. There was no way the guy was gonna spring this on Tim on the spur of the moment like this. It wouldn't be fair to either the little girl who'd just lost a father or Tim who'd just been asked to become one.

For the first time in over an hour, Tim finally spoke after hearing his boss's parental tendencies spring to life without hesitation, "It _would_ just confuse her." The young man stood and faced the lawyer. "And she's been through more than enough already without adding that."

"I suppose you're right."

"Give us a coupla days." The Team Leader spoke again, this time from right beside his agent.

"For your answer?" Mr. Cartwright asked in obvious dismay at the idea.

"To be ready to take her." Gibbs corrected firmly as if it had never been in doubt that they would.

"Where…uhm. Where has she been staying since…?" Tim wanted to know.

"With me. And my wife. We were already keeping her when Tom had to go away on business trips."

"And if I don't say yes, where…what will happen to her?"

"My wife and I will raise her."

"I don't understand why we should change what she's already used to. Make her live with someone she's never met before." Tim observed. "I know I'd be really upset if someone expected my little sister to go through that. Why would they ask anyone to put Kathleen through it" Looking pointedly at the man, Tim pushed his point, suddenly upset at the idea of what they were expected to put this four year old child through. "Why are **you**?""

"All I can tell you is that it's what Kate wanted and what Tom agreed to for their daughter. My wife and I aren't able to be the soccer parents who let the kids have their sleepovers and camp-outs. My wife's health isn't nearly as good as it could be and I'm… well, my job is my mistress if you know what I mean."

"This everything you have for Tim?" Gibbs asked as he picked up both books and held them up. It was getting late and his agent was losing his cool; definite signs it was time to get the hell outta here and let things simmer down.

"Actually, no." Mr. Cartwright answered as he held out the folder he'd been holding onto all night. "Here are her medical records as well as a list of everything willed to her by her father – a list he wanted you to have upfront – without having to wait for the official will to be read. Something about not knocking you around with the full brunt of it all – something about handing it to you in pieces so it would be easier to swallow?"

"She's Kate's daughter and I'm being asked to raise her – how much more could there possibly be than that?" Tim asked with a measure of heat in his tone as the lawyer's tone came off just a shade too flippant for the younger man's strained nerves to take.

As his expression turned stone cold serious, Stephen Cartwright looked Tim straight on and answered him.

"Actually, Agent McGee - in accepting their bequest to raise their daughter, you're also accepting responsibility for looking after her inheritance."

"Which means what, exactly?" Tim asked impatiently.

"McAllister Avionics and Beyond First Class Airlines." Gibbs replied quietly for the attorney.

"As well as McAllister Industries, the family's home and..." Mr. Cartwright added and then paused. With a sharp glare from the older NCIS Agent, the lawyer laid the last of it out on the table. "The family's vast fortune."

******NCIS******

Gibbs cradled his mug of hot coffee in his palm as he looked over at his sleeping agent, completely out of it on his couch. Shifting to get more comfortable in his easy chair, the Team Leader let his mind wander freely. It had certainly been a rough night for the younger man who'd finally lost that stoic hold on his emotions when handed the entire story of what he was being asked to take on. Gibbs had nearly had to carry the kid out to the car, he'd been that out of it. Watching him go from thoroughly ticked off to completely thrown into shock in all of about two point two seconds had not been fun or anything he would have wished on the younger man.

It had been late when they'd finally gotten out of there, almost ten, but Gibbs had made the necessary calls anyway – calling the rest of the team, including the extended members, to sleep in with a firm request added for Tony, Abby and Ducky that they report to his house for an early brunch at eleven. In Ziva and Jimmy's case, the Team Leader's instructions designated them as in charge of guarding the fort until the others showed up.

While he hated to leave them out of the meeting at his house, he'd made the decision in their own best interests. Neither of them needed to witness or in Ziva's case, bear even so much as a sliver of responsibility for the emotional storm that was coming as a result of what Ari had done to this team – now that it was all being dredged up for them again After everything Ziva had just been through in Somalia– they needed to spare her at least that much..

He also called Vance to demand that his team be taken off active case assignment for the rest of the week, though he didn't go into any details beyond, "_something personal for all of them that they'll need time to get a handle on. Doesn't mean we won't be in, Leon. Just gonna need the mornin' off."_

Gibbs knew Tim needed time to read through what Kate had left for him; time to process everything, not to mention time to figure out how he was going to change his life around as completely and quickly as possible for the sake of Kate's daughter, who'd never even gotten to know her mother, had never known her mother's love. Blinking back the tears, the older man, headed out of the room after soothing the blanket down over his youngest agent – and brushing the hair back out of his face. "You're not alone in this, Tim. We'll get you through. All the way."

******NCIS******

Waking up at his usual time, Tim found the boss' note about sleeping in and having the rest of the week to take in the sudden changes in his life and let them process through his brain and heart. In turn, the young man wrote his own note, letting the boss know he'd be back in an hour or two. He knew it was expected that he return and stay here, while things were discussed and ironed out in terms of what would happen now. With the changes coming at him, Tim was especially grateful to know he had, and would always have, the support of his NCIS family. It was a knowledge that had been hard to come by, but thankfully, it had eventually gotten there, where it counted - in his heart where he looked for guidance in times like these.

But first, he needed some information, a shower and a change of clothes. Since his 'go' bag was at the office, along with the file he needed, Tim headed to the Navy Yard in a cab, stopping off to get a large cup of coffee. Less than thirty minutes later, he was freshly showered and changed into clothes from his 'go' bag, at his desk and reading through the very case that had set all of this in motion – the case of Brian McAllister.

With a full copy of the case and everything they knew about the McAllister family, Tim returned to the boss's house – pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't even yet six-thirty and the boss was still asleep. Tossing his note out, Tim got the coffee started and settled down on the couch – this time reacquainting himself with the family's history.

Once he'd read all of that, he headed back to the kitchen for his coffee and settled back down on the couch, now with Kate's journal. As he sipped his coffee, Tim blinked yet again and attempted to read the first page for what had to be the 100th time.

_The Life Story of My Daughter – Kathleen Alicia McAllister_

_My heart_

_My life_

_My love_

_My daughter_

_My everything_

Taking a deep breath one more time and slowly letting it out, he began painstakingly reading what Kate had to say in this written life story of her legacy – she'd called her – in the same sentence she'd told Tim she had complete faith and trust that he could handle the responsibility of raising her, with help.

He wasn't surprised to find that the entries started the day she'd met Thomas McAllister.

**_Jan. 12, 2005_**_ – Met my future husband today. Until today, I never believed in love at first sight. Then again, he does have the whole package – tall, well mannered, very cute, a true self-made businessman and self-assurance enough to let unkind words slide off his back – oh and a murderer!_

_Unfortunately, he's looking pretty guilty in the disappearance and death of his brother – from 2 years ago. Why does this always happen to me? It's like I told Abby. "It figures"_

_Please, God, help us find the real killer – and prove that it wasn't my Prince Charming._

**_Jan. 14, 2005_ – **_My future husband is NOT a murderer! Thank you, God! It's six am and I'm just now getting home from flying to New York City for a late dessert! Can you believe it? This is definitely love! He's kindness personified, genuine, unpretentious and genuinely still grieving for the pain and loss he's suffered as the last surviving member of his family as well as self-imposed guilt for bugging Brian to come home that fateful weekend – even though the weather had been forcasted as not exactly safe to be driving on those roads near Black Lake._

_I hope for his sake that the court rules in his favor against that Seleena woman – and lets him have what's rightfully his so he can have his life back and have the resources he needs to salvage the family businesses. If he loses them on top of all of his family members, it will crush him._

_While I can definitely see myself marrying this man – I also can't say a word to anyone – I can't afford to jinx it like that._

_And I promise, God, that as long as I'm breathing, I swear, I will never again judge anyone before getting to know them – the way I did with Tom._

**_Jan. 28, 2005_**_- Can't believe it's Friday night and I'm without a date. What's worse is that it's my own fault. Tom's been so wonderful these past few weeks – patiently dating me around my crazy work schedule and need for sleep. If it weren't for being grounded in reality at work – I'd swear I'm walking on clouds these days. But, it's too good to be true. So, in true Todd style – I've balked. Told Tom I needed a break – maybe date other people for a bit – just to see if I can get a sense of what's right for me. Unbelievably, Tom took it well – though I couldn't miss the hurt in his eyes. I feel really bad – but I have to be sure. _

_What's not to be sure of? The man just sent me several dozen Red Roses as his way of expressing his love for the first time! What's wrong with me? Am I really that skittish that flowers send me running in the opposite direction?_

**_Feb 4, 2005_**_ – I can NOT believe it! Of all the people in D.C. – who ever would have thought I'd literally get plowed into on my morning run by someone who's well acquainted with, of all people, DiNozzo? Steve is handsome and polite, practically falling over himself trying to get me to come to dinner with him, so he can make amends for making me hit the dirt that way. I finally caved, felt sorry for him, but the minute I said yes to dinner tomorrow night my heart screamed at me for cheating on Tom. I'll call him tonight and tell him what's going on. He'll understand. I miss him so much. Is that my answer already?_

**_Feb 5, 2005 –_**_ I called Steve to cancel dinner as soon as DiNozzo told me about thier frat house brotherhood, but Steve promised there'd be no talk of his former frat brother cum my current co-worker tonight. I suppose one date won't hurt. Even Tom said as much when I told him about it last night. It was so great to be able to be so open with him about this. I think my heart's already decided on Tom – but I can't be cruel to Steve so I'll go to dinner with him._

**_Feb 6, 2005_**_ – Hilarious! Keeping DiNozzo on his toes with little tidbits of humorous shenanigans Steve so kindly threw my way when my curiosity got the better of me, about his Frat Days! Sex Machine? Really? Talk about a real weapon to keep the nosy, pompous, overgrown Peter Pan in line!_

**_Feb. 10, 2005_**_– Steve has graciously accepted that my heart belongs to Tom. We've parted company as friends. Tom has continued to call and check on me – concerned about my crazy schedule and my heart, it seems. He's so sweet, sending me flowers – roses – a dozen of every color – true red for love and passion _- _fiery red for passion -cardinal red for desire - fully bloomed red because he still loves me- yellow for friendship and domestic happiness - orange for an expression of pride or amazement and peach for appreciation and desire. It's as if the man's taken lessons from Gibbs in how to communicate without speaking! They're so beautiful – it's taken my breath away!_

**_Feb 12, 2005_**_- I've refocused my attention back where it belongs, on Tom. I've come to realize that I'm ready. Looking forward to our date tonight, the first one in several weeks. The flowers haven't stopped coming though. Too bad, no one in my family is happy about me dating someone who's not interested in converting to Catholicism. At this point, my heart's overruling my head. After all, you only find love once in a lifetime, right?_

**_Feb 14, 2005_**_ – Best Valentine's Day Ever! Two dozen fiery red roses and dinner on the beach, by candle light! And a proposal! This is the real deal! I said yes! I'm so happy! _

**_Feb 15, 2005-_**_ Can't get rid of this toothache for anything! Hate going to the dentist worse than I hate putting up with DiNozzo always snooping though my things! Good thing loading up on Extra strength Tylenol seems to do the trick and still let me do my job!_

**_Feb 17, 2005_**_– I feel so bad for Tim. It's really hard to learn to deal with someone dying on your watch. The guilt can eat you alive. Thank goodness, we solved the case though – Erin's death wasn't completely in vain, though I doubt Tim will see that for a while. It also showed me that it's not all that bad to rely on a hypnotist once in a while. Dental visit went fine! Now to plan my wedding! Gonna be tough with no witnesses or friends that I know being there, but it's the way it has to be. Still can't settle on a date though; hopefully we will soon._

**_Feb 22, 2005 –_**_Got asked over the phone if I wanted to go out on a date – with a Sheriff's Deputy who's not only never met me, but married! Unbelievable! Before I even thought about it, I was muttering about Mom wondering why I never married. It took all I had to keep a straight face as I bolted for the ladies room. She knows I'm getting married, and she's not happy about it; wants nothing to do with being there for me. Never thought I'd have to choose between my family and the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. It's like Tom said, we believe in the same God, so why should the rest matter more than our love for each other?_

**_Feb 24, 2005_**_ – My dream's come true! I, Kate Todd am now officially, yet unofficially – Mrs. Thomas McAllister! Reno! What a wedding! And the honeymoon? Wow!_

_Tom completely blew me away with a spontaneous trip – well, he'd planned it all out, of course – but a huge surprise for me!_

_He thought of everything – from the most gorgeous wedding dress I could ever have imagined to the flowers of all colors and varieties that lit up the room with freshness and beauty. He even recorded it so we can live those moments over and over again through the years, whenever we want to._

_It was really tough experiencing one of the best moments of my life in complete secrecy, but it was the knowledge that my blood family wouldn't have been there for me, regardless, that made it that much harder not to let my NCIS family/team be there for me. Especially Abby. I can only hope she forgives me if she ever finds out. I hope they all can._

_None of this may sound like me: going against my religion and my parents, keeping all this secret, but love changes you, realigns your priorities. I have no doubts that my family will come around eventually. Babies in the family tend to draw people closer and if everything goes right, Tom and I will be parents before the year is up. I'm so excited! And I'm not even convinced I'm going to hell for the choices I've made._

**_March 1, 2005 – _**_DiNozzo is driving me absolutely insane! I'm not sure how much more of his crap I can take! I even tried going to Ducky to get him to talk some sense to the bonehead that won't stop prying into my life – nosing through my desk and even my purse! Does the man not have a decent shred of respect for other people's privacy in him? He even dared eat my sandwich when my back was turned – and called it sharing! _

_Oh, but when Tim takes him up on his offer for a bite of his sandwich – he gets smacked in the back of the head for it – hard! DiNozzo is so full of double standards, it's a wonder the pain in the behind can even see straight! What's worse – when DiNozzo misspoke for both of us – saying 'we' don't trust McGee' enough to talk to him about our working relationship problem – the man I thought was fair above all others – said not a single word of reproach to DiNozzo about his attitude towards Tim! _

_Unbelievable! Then again, I didn't correct it, myself so I guess I'm just as guilty. I feel bad about not saying anything about the unfairness of that attitude towards Tim, much less the spreading such crap around – but all I can do is be more careful – and more outspoken on Tim's behalf in the future. God forbid, Tony completely tear him down – it just wouldn't be right._

_Thank goodness, I have Tom to come home to at night AND our plan has every chance of succeeding! We'll find out tomorrow night! Either way, Tom's taking me house hunting this weekend since we talked about it and both agreed we need a bigger house if we're going to have a family. Which we are! Thank you, God!_

**_March 2, 2005_**_ – We did it! We're going to be parents! Thank you, God! Thank you, Deanna Gordon! Our first attempt at gestational surrogacy and everything worked out perfectly! Our baby is safely growing and developing in our angel Deanna's womb! God Bless you, Deanna! _

_Tom and I decided to go this route so I wouldn't have to give up my job – or put any child of ours at risk with my job. And it gives us a way to help Deanna, as part of the expense of doing this for us – we're able to provide her with shelter, clothing and food, all things she would have gone without if she'd not been helped out of her situation. Believe me, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement. See, Mom? God **is** still watching over us!_

_I can't help but remember that short conversation I had with DiNozzo about this – not even a year ago._

_I told him "When I'm a mother, I'm never letting my kids out of my sight."_

_He asked me "Yeah, how do you plan on doing that?"_

_I think I shocked him with my instant answer when I told him. "G-P-S locator strapped to the ankle. Audio and video surveillance built into their clothes."_

_I still remember his answer – it was such a sarcastic put-down, I could never forget it. "No, I mean the part about becoming a mother._

_I felt so stung, all I could say in response was. "Funny."_

_Wonder what he'd say now? I almost wish I could tell him just to see his face!_

**_March 3, 2005_**_ – Officially looking for a new house today! Also officially an expectant mom today – in a very non-traditional sense. We're starting the baby's photo album and record keeping today. We want to be able to look back and picture every step it took for our family to get here. _

"Here" The Team Leader's voice sounded close by, drawing Tim back out of Kate's Journal as he looked up to see the man holding out a mug of coffee for him.

With a shy silent smile, Tim took the proffered mug and brought it almost to his chest, taking in the aroma and the warmth of the cup as it sat cradled on his hand, his long fingers having instantly wrapped themselves around it.

"You alright?" The boss asked with the same unnerving concerned quietness Tim had heard from him on the night they'd lost Kate.

Tim wasn't sure how to answer that. On the one hand, _he_ was fine. Truth be told, he was more worried about the man asking the question, which was why Tim was floored to be asked in the first place. He was surprised that the man's focus was on him, instead of dealing with his own pain. Revisiting Kate's death and from the perspective of her husband they'd never realized she'd had, a widower these past five years. A daughter left behind after Gibbs had his own so tragically ripped away from him years ago. Too many reminders of Gibbs' own losses of both family and agent.

"She explain things in there?" Gibbs asked, gesturing toward the journal in Tim's lap.

Tim nodded as he breathed out his answer on a pain filled sigh. "Yeah."

Having read enough for now, to understand how things had played out for Kate, Tim handed the book over – knowing Gibbs would need to see for himself what had gone on – before he'd be able to accept where things had come to now.

With a silent nod of thanks, the boss accepted the small book and headed out of the room, talking back over his shoulder as he went. "Breakfast in the kitchen. Go, eat."


	6. Chapter 5

Thirty minutes later found Tim done with breakfast and back out on the boss's couch, this time reading back through both Tom and Kate's letters a second and even a third time as if needing to drill the words into his soul. Before he realized it, the morning was gone and Tony, Abby and Ducky all arrived together. Gibbs finally appeared, Kate's journal tucked underneath his arm- just in time to usher the three into his living room.

"Hey, Probie! What are you doin' here? And why does it look like you've been here all night?" Tony asked as he took in the pillow and blanket stacked on the back of the couch.

_**Thwack**_

"Ow! Thanks, Boss, but what…?" Tony responded even as he watched Tim fold the two pieces of paper he'd been reading, slip them into his shirt pocket, and look away toward the glass porch doors.

"Think you're the only one welcome here, do ya, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked with an odd tone of seriousness mixed with irritation.

"Usually, yeah." Tony replied with his normal brutal honesty. "Well, I mean, I know Abby is too, but…"

"Hey, where's Ziva?" Abby interrupted as she noted the obvious absence of the other female member of the team. As if realizing they were missing one more, she added that question too. "And Palmer?"

"Not here for a reason." The Team Leader replied quietly as he gestured toward his furniture. "Sit."

"Jethro?" Ducky finally spoke without yet moving, looking to his long-time friend for a heads up on whatever this was about.

"Not this time, Duck." Gibbs replied somberly. "Only gonna say this once."

"Boss, I'll do it." Tim spoke up, shocking all three newcomers into silence as they watched the young man stand to his feet and silently communicate that he did not want the Team Leader to do any more heavy lifting with this situation. Hoping to ease the situation for them both, he made a suggestion. "But, if you wouldn't mind, I think we're all gonna need a strong cup of coffee – or tea- real soon."

Gibbs offered his slight nod as he handed off the journal and left the room, his unspoken gratitude at what Tim was making sure he not have to witness, almost palpable between them. Tim turned around, finding the puzzled expressions waiting for answers on the faces of the three people about to have their own world disrupted – though just how much was hard to pinpoint.

Taking a deep breath, Tim picked up the photo album he had yet to look through and slid it underneath the journal in his hand. Slowly he let his breath out and set the books down on the table behind him before taking the letters back out of his pocket as he turned to his teammate and friend. "Tony."

Unhappy that the team's junior agent seemed to know more than the rest of them about whatever was going on, but mostly overcome by curiosity, Tony's answer was quick and only bordering on sarcastic. "Probie."

Letting the older man's attitude roll off his back in favor of getting to the point, Tim kept going, trying to keep his explanations as short as possible. "That registered letter yesterday."

"What about it?" The Senior Field Agent asked, his tone showing his innate curiosity and some impatience. His frustration level rising, Tony just could not abide a mystery!.

Tim switched gears enough to grab onto the other piece that would link this up the quickest for the older man. "You remember the news report Gibbs was watching when we got to work on Monday?"

"The McAllister car crash? Yeah. Why? What's goin' on, Probie? Why the two different questions? What's one got to do with the other? And what does it all have to do with us?" The Senior Field Agent was really starting to get impatient with the situation.

"Me" Tim offered quietly, bringing the eyes of all three of his teammates back to him.

"What?" Tony asked in confusion.

"And Kate."

******NCIS******

The sonic boom that had gone off in Gibbs' living room at Tim's brief explanation just a few moments earlier finally faded off into the distance as the trio found their voices – seemingly all at once.

"Explain, Timothy, if you please?"

"Start talkin' McGee!

"Timmy! You know I hate it when you talk in riddles! And why would you bring up Kate's name like that?"

Waiting until the hubbub died out, Tim deliberately forced himself to breathe calmly. Looking at each of them in turn, he chose to let Kate and Tom explain in their own words. "I'll let them explain." Tim spoke to all of them, looking at each of them once more as he held up both letters for them to see before he began reading them out loud.

******NCIS******

Fifteen emotionally draining minutes later, Tim left Tony and Ducky pouring over Kate's journal together along with the letters Tim entrusted to Ducky's care – and Abby clutching the photo album like a lifeline – with no one daring to try to take it from her or even invade her space enough to look through it with her.

"Pretty quiet in there." Gibbs remarked as Tim silently entered the kitchen and sat down in the chair across from him. Without waiting for a response, the Team Leader got up from where he'd been trying to lose himself in the pages of the newspaper and poured the young man a cup of coffee, taking the time to spike it with a shot of bourbon to help the kid out. Handing it to him, he looked him over as Tim finally spoke.

"They're reading through everything. Taking it all in." He accepted the coffee with a small smile of thanks and took a large sip, grimacing at the taste. Figuring the boss had fixed it with alcohol for a reason, Tim bucked up and kept sipping it, unable to even stomach the idea of taking in too much at once.

As the boss sat back down, Tim got quiet, his brain still attempting to process everything, from all the blunt truths Kate had laid out in her journal about those she'd left behind to trying to envision himself taking on the raising of a child; Kate's child.

Surprisingly enough, it wasn't long before Ducky joined them at the kitchen table, albeit silently, his expression almost as sorrowful as it had been the day they'd buried Kate **and** the day they'd buried Paula. Silently, he passed the letters back to Tim who accepted them back with a small smile of thanks for their safe return.

As he'd done with Tim, Gibbs silently got up and fixed his friend a cup of tea, setting it down in front of him before taking his seat at the table once more – never once breaking the silence that had enveloped the room a good ten minutes back.

"I must say, I had no idea." Ducky finally spoke, his voice full of regret for all they hadn't been aware of in Kate's life. His eyes were brighter than usual and it wasn't long before he couldn't hide the tears as they escaped down his face, first one, then another. Wiping at his eyes, the older man lowered his head for a brief moment, trying to pull himself together.

Feeling very much like an intruder on a most private moment, Tim silently got up from the table and took himself over to the sink, turning the water on for the background noise he somehow realized they needed right now. Ducky's sorrow tore at his own heart right where it had already started to break for the same intense sadness and more for what the Team Leader had to be dealing with. As he stood there trying to calm his own emotions, he realized something he hadn't before. If this was teaching him anything, it was that being concerned and heartbroken for those you cared about did wonders for keeping that monster called Survivor's Guilt at bay.

*****NCIS*****

Tony felt like his heart had just been ripped out of his chest. Hearing the words Kate had left behind, seeing the ones she'd written in her journal – especially the ones expressing her frustration with his behavior and his attitude towards not only her, but Tim as well – really stuck like a knife to the gut. Wiping his hands across his face, his eyes incidentally crossed the sight of Abby sitting on the couch, still clinging to the photo album, tears trailing down her face, taking her mascara with them along the way.

Seeing this was not only affecting him, Tony drew in his breath with more control and forced himself to get a grip. This had to be tearing the boss up pretty badly too. Suddenly, the Senior Field Agent needed to see for himself that the man was alright. Lurching to his feet, he plodded his way across the room, leaving Abby to the photo album for a bit. He'd check back on her in a minute he told himself, as he left the living room behind and headed to the kitchen.

******NCIS******

"Timothy, are you alright, lad?" Ducky asked several silent moments later, obviously back in control of his own emotions and now ready to worry about the others.

Having pulled his own emotions back under wraps, Tim was already calm once more, patiently waiting until the silence had been broken. Turning around, he offered that small smile of his he gave when the situation was too serious for a jovial one, "I'm fine. Thank you. I just can't shake the feeling that we're in one of Tony's crazy movies he's always going on about."

"Hey!" Tony growled from the doorway, taking offense to Tim's remark in a tone that left little doubt his own emotions were in turmoil.

"Yeah. Feels that way to me, too." Gibbs replied quietly as he stood from the table and glanced Tim's way before looking back at Ducky. "C'mon, let's take this back to the living room. Wanna check on Abby."

******NCIS******

Settled quietly back into the furniture in the living room, the team somehow left room for the heavy silence to permeate the air. None of them knew how or even dared to shatter that silence while their hearts and minds reeled, trying to accept this new weight of knowing all their beloved Kate had secretly been. Their hearts broke once again with all that had truly been lost. While she'd never been nearly as open with her personal life as Tony was at any given moment, to have had this much of a personal life that no one knew about, this much to live for, was both an awful lot to digest and freshly tragic to accept, on top of their grief for their fallen friend; especially when a little girl's future was at the heart of it all. It was as if an old wound, still troublesome on the best of days, had been viciously re-opened and salt had been poured in.

Hating the silence that screamed of everyone now being buried under their freshly re-opened wounds from Kate's death and whatever guilt they might be feeling towards her daughter they had yet to even meet, Tim got to his feet and paced for a minute, trying to think of the best place to start things moving past this rough spot. Suddenly, it dawned on him where he needed to push first. Stopping in front of the person he knew needed an outlet the most right about now, Tim looked him straight on and asked him. "Tony, what is it?"

Tony's eyes snapped up off the floor where they'd been boring a hole for the last ten minutes. "Oh, you mean besides the crack I made to her about not believing she'd ever be a mother?"

Tim felt the glancing sting of Tony's retort but knew that Tony was really directing it internally, so he let it slide on past him and kept his eyes on his friend., silently urging him to let it all out.

"Or maybe it was the countless times I gave her grief about being in a dating slump, huh?"

Hearing the pathetic dose of guilt that second complaint was buried in, Tim threw a little back at the older man to hopefully move him forward a little, making sure his tone was flippant enough the man would know he wasn't being accusatory. "Hey, at least you didn't accuse her of being gay or tell the Accounting Pool she was, right? And remember, it was Kate's choice not to tell you, or any of us, about her life."

Without waiting for Tony's slack jaw to close, Tim turned his attention to the one who'd been silently crying all this time, her face now a wreck of runny mascara and so many tears there seemed to be no end in sight. "Abby? Abbs, talk to us. What's going through your mind with all this?"

Abby finally raised her eyes up off the photo album, bringing them up to meet Tim's at his spoken question. She turned the book around to show him what she had been staring at for the past hour.

"She's the spitting image of her mom."


	7. Chapter 6

Again, the silence was deafening on the heels of that most painful of observations from Abby. Silently, all eyes turned to the photo - where a four year old Kate Todd smiled back at them in all her beauty and innocence through the eyes of her daughter Kathleen. For a breathless minute, the world stood still.

It was Tim who unfroze time, this time, pivoting on his heel and soundlessly striding out of the room, already at the front door, jacket in hand, before Gibbs even caught up to him, laying a hand on his shoulder to stop him for a moment, no censure in his expression or tone.

"You alright?"

Tim shook his head. "I don't know what I am right now."

"Perfectly understandable, Timothy." Ducky's voice came from behind the Team Leader.

I need some air." The young man spoke to his boss, not to ask for permission, but to offer a sit rep.

Gibbs nodded with complete understanding as he turned, shared a pointed look with his long-time friend and team counselor, and left the two of them alone to talk.

"Timothy, would you like some company on your walk, perhaps?"

"Thank you, Ducky, but no."

"Timothy, I…"

"Ducky, will you please just take care of the others first? We both know they're not going to have an easy time accepting all of this, especially since Kate seems to have made it clear that she didn't want any of her team involved in her child's life except me - and even that was a last resort. You and I both know that when she kept her unborn child a secret, she was just trying to protect her from what she thought to be an unsafe situation – mixing work with home. I'm guessing she expected me to feel honor bound to push Gibbs, Tony, Abby, even you away – not even let you try to help. But I just don't see it that way."

"I do agree with you, Timothy. Just as you and I know that both Anthony and Abigail have matured greatly since the time when Caitlyn knew them and made the decisions she felt she needed to make. Not only is the situation different now – but the people themselves are as well. It is certainly not your fault that people do things in their own time, including accepting the choices of loved ones, even when they don't agree with them. Far too often, families are torn apart over religious beliefs, I'm afraid and apparently Caitlyn's family was one of those unfortunate situations. I would imagine that the Todds will regret their stubbornness and intractability towards Caitlyn and Thomas for the rest of their lives. Because of their thick-headedness, they have lost the chance to know their granddaughter, their own flesh & blood while, you, on the other hand….

"I know. And I think that's another reason she'd be happy to see this team embrace her daughter – and pitch in to help wherever they can – to look after her. I just wish none of you had to get dragged into it quite this way."

"Nonsense, my boy! No matter how it came about, I, for one am glad to be fully aware, as it would have been far more hurtful to have been left out – for all of us."

"Oh, God, Ziva!" Tim worried. "I don't feel right keeping this from her. It's gonna hurt her, too, especially since Kathleen looks…"

"Yes, well, as for the dear child looking just like her mother, Ziva is the one person that will least likely affect. Putting that aside, for the moment, she will not be left out for long; young man. Don't you fret about that for a moment longer. I completely understand – and even agree with Jethro's point in not having her here for this- this initial period of adjustment is not something she should be burdened with after all she's just been through, and given her connection to that most fateful day."

"I know. I just hope she does." Tim offered. "I'll be back in a while. I just need to clear my head."

"Do call one of us, if you should need our assistance – or just a willing ear to listen, won't you?"

"I will." Tim promised as he stepped out and closed the door behind him, leaving a pensive Ducky in his wake.

Lost in his own thoughts for the moment, it was Abby's voice from the next room that drew his attention

"I wonder if Kate realized just what she was asking Tim to do, or if she just didn't care, after all her family was more important than her friends – at least it seems that way by all of this." Abby remarked to no one in particular.

"Whattaya mean, Abbs?" Gibbs probed quietly as he shared another glance with the M.E. when he returned to the room.

"She is throwing his life completely off, she just asked him to give up his dream of being an NCIS agent! Let's face it, McGee would give out his own heart, rather than deny his teammate's last request." The young woman - still trying to sort it all out – threw out the reminder of her best friend's character traits.

"It's clear to me that our dearly departed Caitlyn and her husband set this up as a worst case scenario to protect their unborn child. Even though her job was high risk, Thomas did not have any such problem and, in my opinion, she would have anticipated that one or both of them would be raising their daughter." Ducky offered. "This was set up as contingency plan, a guardian for their underage, actually unborn, child. You don't think it's going to happen, you hope it won't, but you cover all the bases just in case. For those who are cautious by nature, it's a safety net, really just common sense. One that allows them to sleep more soundly at night, I'd imagine."

"And Probie being, well, Probie, ….Tony attempted to chime in quietly, trying to focus, at least for the moment, on whatever the others saw fit to think about right now. Obviously, Abby's concern was how to best help Tim through this so they could all help Kathleen, just a young toddler whose entire world had just changed so drastically that none of them were sure how to cushion her from the effects.

"His driven, protective and perfectionist nature means that he will dedicate himself wholeheartedly to raising Caitlyn's child to the best of his ability, just as she's asked him to do." Ducky finished for him.

Now it was Gibbs who spoke to the group – thankful that Tim had left to get some air. Looking at each of his remaining team members present now, he spoke his mind. "He may be able to pull off the life of a single father as a federal agent, but, he won't be able to do it without help."

"Well, yeah, Boss. I mean even Tom and Kate stipulated that, right?" Tony supplied the already understood reminder. "Of course, we'll help him. Though I have to say, I'm still tryin' to wrap my head around all this; I mean Kate choosing McGee to raise her kid? Giving him their fortune? Hell, I can't wrap my head around the fact that she married into that money and never said a word!"

"Anthony, I believe what Jethro is referring to is help for Timothy beyond his team, beyond our family." Ducky suggested quietly as Gibbs nodded in agreement.

"We won't be able to help when he's working since we all work the same long hours together so it will have to be someone else. But, then again all of that might already be set up, too, since a lot of things changed and got better in Thomas' life after that letter was written." Gibbs reminded them.

"Oh, absolutely, the success he'd made of the family business would have allowed him the unlimited funds to have a housekeeper, a nanny and a business manager - in addition to the board of directors for the family businesses." Ducky agreed.

"Guys! We're not even sure Timmy will _want_ to keep his job now that he has a daughter to raise!" Abby's shrill statement brought the discussion to a standstill. "Think about the danger of your jobs - the risk of leaving her an orphan _again_ if he gets hurt or worse – killed on the job, not to mention the late and unpredictable hours that comes with our work?

"Yes, Timothy will more than likely give up being a Field Agent." Ducky agreed somberly.

"No!" Gibbs threw down his own edict on that idea. _He was not losing Tim off the team and the young man was not sacrificing his career! Other agents successfully combined their careers with parenthood and Tim could do that, _would_do that, too._

"Hate to say it, Boss. But I think Abby and Ducky are right. Probie's probably gonna want to give it up now that he has a daughter to raise." Tony added.

"We must remember Timothy was less than a year into his position on the team when Caitlyn wrote that letter. Additionally, his giving up that position doesn't mean we won't be there to pitch in to help, to give the little girl a sense of family whenever we can, especially on holidays, etc," Ducky kept his litany of sound reasoning going, needing them all to understand his point. "Besides, I'm certain Director Vance will make sure Timothy will still be around since he is quite a valuable member of the agency.

"Timmy won't like it, but he'll do it – for Kathleen – and for Kate." Abby announced with conviction. "You could talk to Vance, Gibbs! Make him keep him on your team – just on permanent desk duty. He'll eventually learn to be happy with it."

Gibbs frowned. That wasn't anything he wanted to see happen – but they did have valid points.

"Aren't you excited, Ducky? And you too, Gibbs?" Abby gushed – suddenly excited herself at the prospect of being an Aunt – to Kate's daughter, no less! She knew that Kate had known her well enough to realize Abby wasn't anywhere near ready to have been a viable guardian for any child. At that time in her life, when Kate had been with them, Abby was still heavily into heavy metal concerts and wild parties, not even remotely interested in committing to anything or anyone. The fact that she hadn't been chosen to raise Kathleen did not bother her, but rather left her feeling buoyant and excited at the position that put her in – of the Aunt who could get to know and love her and spoil her to her heart's content.

Although Ducky's answering expression showed more understanding than that of Gibbs', neither verbally offered a response. With a huff of impatient breath, Abby pushed them to get what she was saying. "Guys! C'mon! Think about it! Two grandpas! I mean both of you are bound to retire at some point in her young life, right? She'll have plenty of your time to learn from you and hear your stories, Ducky!"

"Let's get back to talking about the fortune, alright? Cause, I'm still trying to wrap my head around all this. So, McGee will probably get a large amount of money, some of their belongings (like books, records, maybe a car or yacht and numerous other little things), stocks or options in the main companies and maybe a spot on the board, along with some smaller property and businesses that would be his own, right?" Tony interrupted, verbally seeking their help in processing it all.

"Not exactly on the top of his list of concerns right now, Tony." Gibbs quietly admonished his Senior Field Agent.

"Yeah, well, all of this is just a bit much for my inferior self to take in right about now." Tony snarked as he stood up and strode through the house. He nearly yanked the front door off its hinges as he wrenched it open and then rather firmly closed it behind himself as he stepped out.

"Oh, dear!" Ducky remarked soulfully.

"Poor Tony." Abby genuinely sympathized. "He hates it when other people he knows become rich without even trying and yet he can't seem to ever do it."

"Yeah, we noticed." The Team Leader remarked. "Again, not something McGee asked for. Not like it's his money either. We're not gonna see McGee spending a dime of any set aside for expenses on himself."

"Oh, I know – and Tony will calm down about that in time. But, this time it's more than that, Gibbs." She reminded him sadly. "I mean think about it, Kate didn't even tell him any of this, and they were partners!"

"She had her reasons, Abby. You read her journal?"

"No. Not yet."

"Yeah, well, I think you should. Matter of fact, before any of you says anything outta the way to McGee about this – which he didn't ask for, by the way – you need to read that; all of it!"

"I'm guessing you've read it already?" Abby came back compassionately. "Was it hard?"

"Just read it."

"Sure, okay. I'd love to know what she was thinking." Abby remarked quietly as she took the book from him, kissing him on the cheek.

"You're takin' this awfully well, Abbs." Gibbs noticed.

"Well, now that the initial shock is wearing off, all I can think – is that poor little girl! I mean, we really need to get over ourselves here and get movin' on thinking about what she's going through!"

Gibbs smiled as he kissed her cheek. "Proud of ya, Abbs."

"Yes, I too, am most proud of where your heart seems to be, Abigail. I do believe Timothy will be most relieved as well." Ducky offered with honest pride in his tone.

"Relieved about what?" Tim's voice came from the doorway behind them.

"Timmy! Are you ready to go get your new daughter yet?" Abby chortled.

Tim frowned. "Not even close to ready." His quietly firm, yet almost sad reply brought a matching frown to Abby's face.

"Why not?"

"I don't even know where to start getting ready."

"Slow down, McGee." Gibbs advised. Take a minute to relax."

"Where's Tony?" Tim worried as he took the Team Leader's advice and sat down.

Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, Gibbs glanced out his back porch doors and answered the younger man. "Outside, trying to do his own thinking."

As Tim immediately got back to his feet, the Team Leader shook his head. "I got him. You just worry about you right now."

Ducky followed Gibbs outside in pursuit of a moment's conversation with the restlessly pacing Senior Field Agent.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs called to him in something less than an angry bark.

Stopping in his pacing, Tony looked over at the boss; not missing the fact that Ducky was with him as they both headed in his direction; he supposed to keep the conversation away from the ears of those inside the house.

"Talk to me, Tony." Gibbs quietly encouraged his Senior Field Agent who had been right there next to Kate, alongside him, when she was murdered from over 600 meters away.

"I just can't understand how or why she would do this without saying a word – not a word, Boss!"

"You read the journal, DiNozzo. No other way to explain what she was thinkin'."

"I know. I just… Probie? She asked Probie? The guy can't even handle himself around women, Boss! How's he supposed to manage play dates and sleep overs and…"

"That what's really botherin' you about this, Tony?"

Tony shook his head. "Nah. No, I just can't believe that Kate had this life – this entire private life! A kid, even! "

"Anthony, you might do well to remember that while Caitlyn had this life hidden from us – she did not get to enjoy it for more than a few short months and she never got to see her daughter born into this world. I believe those are much deeper things to consider. Wouldn't you agree?" Ducky tried to rein the younger man in.

"What? Well, yeah, of course, Ducky. But… all that money! And it goes to Probie? How unfair can you get?"

"Anthony, you have lost sight of what is happening here. The money is NOT Timothy's per se, it is for his use to raise Kathleen and it is her inheritance. Think of him as the manager of the estate, managing it for Kathleen until she reaches whatever age, they have chosen – be it 18, 21 or 35! Everything is to be held in trust until that time. That is the way these things work." Ducky firmly corrected Tony.

"You think Tim asked for this? Are you even wondering how your partner's holding up from the strain of it all." Gibbs asked,

"What strain?"

"The heavy burden of survivor's guilt gets even heavier when the departed ask you to take care of loved ones left behind, Anthony." Ducky reminded him sorrowfully. "Not to mention the strain of having this unexpected burden of raising a small child that is not his own, placed on him, putting his entire life into chaos & upheaval. In what will be a good way eventually, but nevertheless…."

"Survivor's guilt?" Tony asked incredulously. "What, you don't think that maybe some of the things I do… maybe it's my way to escape the hounds of hell that are after me for the way she died while she stood right next to me? Survivor's guilt is not a stranger to me either, Ducky!"

"No, I know it isn't, young man. And I by no means meant to belittle what you've been through – especially when Caitlyn was taken from us so brutally."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you, Ducky." Tony wiped a hand over his face. "What is wrong with me?"


	8. Chapter 7

__So tell me again, why we're leaving Ziva out of all this?" Tony asked to no one in particular as he came back inside the house, some twenty minutes after having been left to think, while Gibbs and Ducky had silently come back in and taken themselves to the kitchen.

Almost as if on standby with hot drinks, the older two men returned to the room with a dinner tray full of them, although strangely refraining from answering Tony's question.

Already sitting on the couch and looking through the photo album with Abby, Tim now looked up over at his teammate and answered him. "We're not leaving her out completely. You know we wouldn't do that to her. Gibbs obviously thought she didn't need to be here to witness our initial reactions – while we took the time to process it all - what with how Thomas having written how he felt about her brother and all. I agree. I'm glad she isn't here yet. This isn't something Ziva needs to be burdened with. Not after everything she's been through."

"Quite right." Ducky agreed calmly. "This part of Caitlyn's life that we knew nothing about, as well as the freshly re-opened wounds from her death, and the way in which she was taken from us, would undoubtedly be most unkind to Ziva in fact, unnecessarily hurtful.

"Day's wastin'! " Gibbs reminded them. "Got lots to do and the rest of today to do it in. Just called Vance – cleared it with him. Ziva's workin' til the normal end of the day. She'll be here for dinner at 6."

"So, we'll tell her then, right?" Tony pushed. "Cause, ya know, I hate for her to be pissed that we're keepin' this from her."

"Don't worry, Tony." Tim answered. "I'll tell her before the night's over."

"Good. Good."

"What's your next step?" Gibbs asked Tim, knowing it would get his mind back in gear where it needed to be.

"I thought I'd browse the sites online for a list of bigger apartments closer to work. Get a list started of everything I need to do before I go get Kathleen. I've no idea how to get it all done in one day." Tim began to get flustered just thinking about it.

Gibbs smirked as he pulled out the file they'd been handed at the lawyer's office, flipped through it and pulled out what he needed. Handing it to Tim, he remarked. "Think you're forgetting something, McGee."

Tim looked at the paper in his hand:

_Itemized List of Kathleen's Inherited Belongings. Items are available immediately, regardless of the Date Set for Execution of the Will. _

At the top of the list was the house in which Kathleen had spent her first four years The one Kate and Thomas had bought the year everything changed for them. With a small huff of relieved laughter, Tim reached down beside the couch and pulled his laptop back out of the bag, booting it back up. In less than a minute he had the location of the house pulled up on Mapquest and the distance to work figured out. Remarkably, it would mean a shorter drive to work every morning since the house was fifteen minutes closer to the Navy Yard than where he currently lived. Things were beginning to look like they might work out.

"As her custodial guardian, Timothy, you have the legal right to reside in the family residence that now belongs to her. You will be responsible for maintaining the residence on her behalf until she is of age." Ducky reminded him as he pointed to the file still in Gibbs' hands. "Thomas already disclosed that much in his written request in regards to the immediate needs for his daughter."

Holding the file out to Tim with a touch of a smirk on his face, Gibbs laid out another firm suggestion. "Better go through this, McGee, more thoroughly than you do than you do a cold case file. "

"Boss, you have a problem with the way I…" Tim stuttered to a silence as his brain caught up with the boss's meaning. "Ah, I get it. Okay. Oh, boy." Turning to his friend and teammate, he did what he'd never done before, he asked him for help.

"Tony, would you be willing to help me make heads or tails of all this?"

Tony took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Mentally reaching down past the hurt that still stung at the way Kate had handled all of this, he found the realization that Tim had done nothing but try to put the rest of them first as they all came to grips with this, despite how, as Gibbs pointed out, it might be affecting him. And now the younger man was genuinely asking him for help, something he'd never done before, at least not of his own volition. There was no way Tony could say no. In fact, he was a little surprised that Tim was even asking because they all knew Tony's degree had nothing whatsoever to do with business and…

"Tony?" Tim worried about the older man's silence.

Blinking, Tony stopped listening to his thoughts. "Yeah, Tim. I'll be glad to help if I can."

Nodding in proud acceptance of the arrangement between his two boys that he knew would also give them time to resolve things, Gibbs turned his eyes to his favorite. "Abbs, what about you?"

"Timmy's gonna need to move out of his apartment, right? So I'll go get some boxes and tape. Can't get moved without boxes and tape."

Gibbs grinned.

"What's so funny?" Abby asked hotly. She was not at all happy to be the subject of her mentor's mirth. Looking at the other men, she realized they all wore the same expression on their faces. "What?"

"In your roadster?" Tony asked doubtfully. "Seriously, Abby?"

"Hey, I'll have you know there's plenty of room in there!"

"Abby. Let's just take my truck." Gibbs laughed as he waited for her to agree.

Tim smiled as he shook his head. Then a troubling thought hit him and he voiced it before he even realized it. "Jethro!"

Abby beamed at him. "I'm so happy you kept that name for him!"

"You should be happy he kept the beast at all." Tony muttered half under his breath, his eyes narrowing in residual anger.

"Tony!" Abby shrieked.

"Guys! Stop!" Tim exclaimed angrily as he glanced at them. Turning his eyes back to the solid rock of support and seemingly endless supply of the right answers through this minefield, he spoke again, this time in a much quieter, yet still anxious tone. "A four year old and a dog with his size, temperament and training?"

"I would suggest putting a muzzle on him for their introductory meeting, Timothy. "Allow Kathleen to control the meeting, using her body language to tell you what you need to know, if you know what I mean." Ducky offered.

"Sounds like a good idea to me." Gibbs seconded. "C'mon, Abbs. Let's go get those boxes."

Even as she turned and followed the Team Leader out of the room and toward the front door, her loud objections could be clearly heard. "Gibbs! A muzzle? No, no way, Gibbs! That's so not fair to Jethro! He wouldn't hurt a flea! You can't mea..."

The closing of the front door brought out a pent up sigh of relief mixed with frustration from Tim as he frowned. _Were they really going to have to go through this again?_ The year and eight months since that fateful first meeting of man and dog had been a rocky and trying co-existence and one of which Tim rarely spoke. Yet he tenaciously continued to work to make the relationship better, certainly not for Abby's sake, but for the dog's. With his past history, training and size, it would be hard to find him a good home and Tim didn't have the heart to set him up for failure by trying.

Tony was right. Abby should have been, and still should be, grateful Tim had taken the dog to begin with. In the time he had had Jethro, he'd never questioned whether or not the Lab Rat's attitude about him versus the dog had changed. He'd simply taken it for granted that she'd come back to caring about his safety, as much as she did the rest of the team. Apparently, he'd been wrong.

"McGee! C'mon, man. Don't sweat it, alright? Gibbs'll set her straight."

Tony's reassurance brought Tim's attention back to the current task. With a small, rueful smile fused together with gratitude, Tim silently sent his eyes back to the file, completely oblivious to the concerned look Ducky shared with Tony.

******NCIS******

The ride to the first store to get boxes and tape was actually a silent one; neither Gibbs nor Abby spoke once the Lab Rat's tirade had wound down. Following her into the store, the Team Leader couldn't help but feel the anger radiating off of her in waves. Amazingly, he could only watch the somewhat surreal transformation of her personality as they approached the store manager. All he could do was silently follow in her wake, carrying what he could of the folded boxes they were given.

Back out at the truck, he stowed the boxes away under the tarp he tied down over the back of his truck bed before silently getting in and starting it up, still not breaking the silence between them. He didn't care if she stayed upset. That was her problem. His problem was that what she was upset about didn't need to be once again taken out on his agent. As Team Leader, he needed to make sure one thing was clear to all of them before they could consider the subject closed. The trouble was Abby seemed to be the only one of his people who needed to be reminded that they were supposed to have each other's backs at all times. He didn't appreciate having to remind her _again_; that was one of the first things she had learned from him. He also failed to understand why she was so angry with Tim. The dog had been with McGee for over a year, why was this subject so seemingly raw between his team members, and not just McGee, but with DiNozzo as well? He made a mental note to talk to Ducky about the dog situation; he felt he was missing something. With a frustrated sigh, he said his what he hoped would be his final words to his favorite person on the subject.

"Not gonna put the dog's comfort in front of anyone's safety, Abby. Not again."

Abby was shocked out of her silent siege of anger. "Gibbs!"

"She's a little girl, Abby!"

Tears slid down the woman's face as she turned her head away to look out her window, but she stubbornly refused to say anything.

"Understood?" Gibbs pushed harshly, suddenly beyond frustrated with her attitude.

Wiping at her eyes, she blew out a breath of air, the sound harsh and difficult. "I know she's just a little girl, Gibbs!"

"What happened to 'get over ourselves and think about what that little girl is going though'?"

Silence greeted his question and Gibbs knew he'd made his point. Without another word, he turned his attention to his driving, leaving Abby to work through her attitude on her own.

*****NCIS*****

Frustrated, Tim dropped the paper he'd just read through for the second time, back down onto the stack he and Tony had already gone through. "So basically, we've all jumped the gun and spent the day wasting our time." He groused.

"Nonsense, Timothy." Ducky gently admonished him. "Simply because the final guardianship decision lies within the court's jurisdiction does not mean all this is for naught."

Doubt registered in Tim's expression as he voiced his own rationale. "Ducky, everything is contingent on Child Services' Recommendation to the Court. What about this would they recommend?"

"Well, at this moment, not a thing. However, once you've begun to change the things we all know need to be changed to make room in your life for this little girl; that will change dramatically. Most especially if the McAllister's lawyer stands up for you in court, verifying that this is what they wanted for their child. The courts traditionally do their best to fulfill the parents' choice for legal guardianship of their children unless that situation presents a clear and present danger to the child."

"He's right. Here, drink this, it'll calm those nerves, McNervous." Tony chimed in as he handed his teammate a cup of strong fresh coffee.

"Thanks, Tony." Tim huffed out as he accepted the cup and silently began drinking it down, suddenly wanting the distraction as much as the caffeine.

For just a brief moment or two, an uncomfortable silence filled the empty air around them, as they all took a breather from it all.

"Okay." Tim stood up to stretch his limbs. "Let's say we do this; pack up my apartment, change my career options to a strictly nine to five position and then the court denies this whole arrangement. Then what?"

"Then you fix what they don't like about it and try again, McGee." Gibbs tossed back at him almost carelessly as he walked into the room, silently having returned from his mission.

"Hey, Boss. Where's Abby?" Tony asked.

"Out in the truck, DiNozzo. Are we doin' this or not, McGee?"

Looking at his boss, Tim realized the man never doubted that he'd step up and do this. For the life of him he couldn't think of one reason that was more important than Kate's daughter. "Yeah, Boss. We're doing this."

"Okay, then. Let's get movin'!"

*****NCIS*****

By five in the afternoon, the frenzied pace of packing and loading truckload after truckload of Tim's things and carting them off to a local the storage facility, where he'd managed to rent a space, had left little left to be done. The larger furniture pieces still needed to be moved and Tim still had the bare necessities he would need to get by until the final moving day was at hand, having deliberately set them aside so they wouldn't get packed away.

"We can get all this tomorrow, before we meet with the lawyer again or once you've been awarded the court's okay with the arrangement, McGee." Gibbs offered.

"Thanks, Boss. Thank you, all of you."

"There a problem?" Gibbs asked as he noted the worried tone in his agent's response.

"Just worried about where I'm gonna live if the court refuses Kate's request and I've already given up this place."

"You can bunk at my place til you get it done."

"It?"

"Yeah, Tim.. Whatever it is they want fixed before they agree to it."

"Oh, right." Tim swallowed hard. Obviously the boss believed it would eventually work out the way Kate and Thomas wanted. It felt nice hearing the man's offer to let him stay with him. Uncomfortable, yet nice. "Thanks."

Gibbs nodded silently, their attention soon returning to finishing up for the day and heading back to Gibbs' house for dinner. After all, they had a ninja coming for dinner, one that was most likely going to become angry or at least upset before the night was over.


	9. Chapter 8

_A/N: I apologise for another timeline mistake_-

**For the sake of this story – "Truth or Consequences" & "Reunion" took place two months prior to this story – July, 2009**

A very special "THANK YOU" to my totally awesome BETA - **Gottahavemyncis**!

* * *

"…_Are we doin' this or not, McGee?"_

The boss's question resounded on endless replay in Tim's mind as he watched the others nervously wait for Ziva's arrival. Once he'd explained that the rush to pack up his apartment ironically coincided with the approaching expiration of his lease, they seemed to more readily accept the packing and had thrown themselves into it.

Now, tired and hungry, they moved restlessly about the house while Abby, who hadn't said two words since they'd come back from Tim's apartment, remained stubbornly silent. All Tim could do was think about that brief yet oh so meaningful dialogue between himself and his usually silent mentor and Team Leader.

In the moment the boss' words had reached his brain and been processed, not only had Tim relished the realization that the man never doubted that Tim would step up and do this_, _but their solitary leader had said _'__we'_.

Knowing that Gibbs still carried the pain of the tragic and violent loss of his own family, Tim understood that that one word carried with it so much more than he could ever have asked for. He also realized that he would have all the support he would ever need.  
_  
"Yeah, Boss. We're doing this."_

"Hey." The word quietly spoken at his ear shifted Tim's attention now, drawing him from his thoughts.

Turning, he found the man at the crux of his thoughts watching him with just enough concern that Tim registered it. "Boss?"

"She'll be fine." Gibbs vowed with the conviction he felt.

Realizing the man misunderstood the reason for his silent contemplation amidst the bustle of the room around him, Tim offered a small smile. "I know. At least, I keep telling myself that she won't be armed with a box of paperclips. "

Gibbs smirked. "She only needs one, Tim."

Tim's face lost a little color. "Boss, seriously, part of letting her in means letting her read those letters,"

"Just Kate's." The boss reminded him.

Tim nodded. "Okay." Looking at his watch, he frowned. "She'll be here in a few minutes. What can I do to help?"

"Nuthin'. Dinner's done. We ordered out. "

"We did?"

"No, McBusy, Not you. We – as in your tireless move crew." Tony offered as he entered the room, his arms loaded down with pizza boxes while the air filled with the aroma of everything the expected fast food could possibly be topped with to satisfy this group.

"Tony, I said thank you. I don't know what else I can say. Seriously, there isn't anything to say that can tell you how much I appreciate everything, but, hey, doesn't Ziva hate pizza?"

"No, McGee. I do not hate pizza." The woman in question replied as she entered the room unexpectedly. "What I do hate is being kept in the dark while the rest of the team is involved in something together. Am I to believe you do not want me on this team any longer? Do you not trust me?"

"No!" Tim nearly shouted desperately. This was exactly what he'd feared. "Ziva, you have to believe me, it's not like that!" His eyes flew to those of the boss who'd just come in the room behind her. Silently, his look shouted his frustration, _I told you she'd take it wrong!_

Giving Tim a calming steady look, Gibbs stepped up behind Ziva and quietly spoke in her ear. "That's not it at all, Ziva."

"Gibbs." The Israeli beauty turned and looked at the Team Leader. "Kindly tell me what it is, if that is not it."

'Need to eat first." He requested calmly, his eyes offering her all truths she was after once she did as he was asking.

"Alright." She reluctantly agreed, making no effort to hide the fact she was still unhappy.

The audible sigh of relief that came from everyone in the room did little to ease the frown from her face. It was Ducky spoke to her as he accompanied her to the kitchen and it was his words that chased her frown away. "Ziva my dear. You must keep in mind that the decision to ask you to wait until this evening to be included in this situation was made strictly with your best interests at heart. If you would please relax and enjoy dinner together, they will tell you everything after dinner."

"Alright, Ducky. " She conceded. "For you, I shall do it."

"Not for me, Ziva. Do it for them. But most of all do it for yourself." The M.E. urged as he patted her on the arm and pulled out her chair for her at the table.

"Since we've promised to tell you about our day after dinner, Ziva, why don't you fill us in on what we missed at work today?" Tony suggested with the most captivating smile he could offer her.

"Do not think you can charm me, Tony." She warned seriously before answering his question. "You missed nothing. I was unable to make any progress on any cold case, though I did try to do so on several. I have made many phone calls to most of my contacts in search of updated information."

"Why? All of the cold cases you were working on involve other countries?" Tim asked with serious interest.

"Not necessarily. I simply wish to be thorough, McGee."

"Oh. Right. Sorry, I …" Tim attempted to extricate the foot he'd just inserted into his mouth.

"It is quite alright. I do not mean to sound snapped."

"Heh. That's snappy, Ziva. And I think we can take it, right Probie?" Tony chimed in with a grin.

With a frown etched across his face, Tim remained silent, lifting his coffee cup to his mouth as a buffer between himself and what he'd already feared was a conversation doomed to make the later one much harder to get through.

Conversation around the table lagged at that point and dinner became an uncomfortable situation. No one knew what to say to fix it so long as Ziva hadn't yet been read into things and couldn't be let in in just any ole' way.

Ziva was the first to stand, suddenly unable to sit still any longer. It was obvious she continued to be bothered that something big was going on and she was the last to know about it. After the conversation she'd had with Gibbs about trust and secrets, well, this just wasn't easy to swallow. Gibbs watched his still recovering surrogate daughter as she headed out of the room, anger vibrating around her. As she left, his eyes accidentally met Tim's across the table.

The young man was just as bothered by her having a reason to be this upset with them as he was about her possibly being hurt by what Thomas had written. It didn't matter that she wasn't going to see _that_ letter. The words were burned into Tim's brain and sitting in his heart like a dead weight. None of it could be helped but that didn't make him feel any better, as evidenced by the anxious look in his eye. With a silent gesture of his head, the Team Leader advised him to go talk to her.

Nodding back, Tim got up and followed in Ziva's wake, much to the surprise of the others watching this soap-opera like situation continue to unfold as they attempted to finish filling themselves with pizza. Gibbs remained silent, trusting not only that the others would understand he had faith in Tim, but also that they'd figure out it was about time they displayed their own trust in their teammate as well.

Ever the perceptive one of the group, Ducky gestured towards Tony's plate as he offered his own advice. "Let's finish eating, shall we?"

******NCIS******

He found her restlessly pacing the backyard, her every move a testament to the mood she was in.

"Ziva. If you'd just let me explain, I…"

"You what, McGee?" She stopped and turned to glare at him, angry daggers shooting from those orbs that were oftentimes beautiful and shining with newfound moments of happiness at new discoveries.

"I'll explain everything." He relayed without missing a beat. "Including why not letting you in until now was the only decent thing for us to have done, in consideration of your friendship and your feelings."

"Since when have I asked you to treat my feelings with kid gloves, McGee?"

"Just because you don't ask us to remember that you have feelings, doesn't mean we're not going to." He quietly pointed out.

"I am sorry, McGee."

"You don't have to apologize, Ziva. But I would appreciate it if you would hear me out on this. One friend to another?"

"That I can do." She replied calmly as she sat down beside him on the picnic table bench, far out in the yard under the old maple tree.

"Thank you." He offered as he took Kate's letter out of his shirt pocket and unfolded it. "I received this last night."

"The mail you needed to sign for, yes?"

"Uhm, by extension, you could say that, yeah."

"McGee, you are not making sense."

"The letter I needed to sign for was from a law firm that settles people's estates and represents their wills in court when necessary."

"Someone in your family has died?" She asked sympathetically.

"No. Well, not my immediate family and not recently."

"Again, you are not making sense."

"I'm sorry. I'm just not sure how to put all this in words…"

"Perhaps it would be best if I simply read the letter for myself, yes?"

Tim cleared his throat and thought on it for a minute. As far as he remembered, there wasn't anything in Kate's words that had ever even mentioned Ari so the chance that Ziva needed to be protected from that letter, was silly. "Sure." Matter of fact, it might be helpful for you to be able to take it all in at your own pace." He handed her the letter. "But, I'm not going anywhere. If you have any questions, ask away."

"That is very sweet of you, McGee. But I am sure I will be fine." Ziva settled her eyes on the letter in her hands, effectively ignoring Tim now. He got up and paced, unexpectedly more nervous now than he'd been before he'd asked Tony for help earlier in the day.

Countless minutes went by as Ziva poured over the letter but Tim noticed she was flipping it over and over again, rereading it several times. He didn't mind if she needed the extra time to digest everything but he wasn't looking forward to the question and answer session coming up when she was done.

Then again, he had gotten to know her fairly well over the past couple of years. Tim knew it was just as likely that this would renew the pain over what her brother had done to Kate. After all, this would make that whole mess as fresh for her as it had for them. Either way, he wasn't sure what the next move should be; though he did understand it was her move to make.

He had no idea how long they were out there, although after a while he did tire of pacing and sat down. Ziva had yet to move, but she had clearly stopped reading as her hand holding the paper had fallen to her lap. The fact that her eyes were unmoving as they remained almost glassy and locked on him, was what concerned him.

"Ziva?" He voiced his worry.

When she didn't stir or even blink, he drew up short in opening his mouth again. Seeing a motion out of the corner of his eye, he looked up to find Gibbs approaching, his eyes only on Ziva.

Not needing to be told, Tim silently got up and headed back for the house, gladly leaving Gibbs to do what he could for his teammate. It was obvious he wouldn't be able to help her; though that realization stung, it didn't come as a complete surprise. He just wished it hadn't had to come to this at all.

******NCIS******

"Ziva" Gibbs quietly spoke her name as he sat down next to her.

"It can never be made right." Ziva spoke finally, her voice flat as she struggled with how she felt to discover her brother had stolen a mother away from her unborn child.

"No. No, it can't. Best we can do is help her daughter, if the courts will let us."

"I understand now, why you did not want me here when the others were told. I am sure there was much fresh anger."

"Only grief, Ziva. Time for anger's long gone."

"How can that be when the child's existence has only just been discovered, Gibbs?"

"Misplaced anger is what it would be, Ziva. We're all smart enough to know that."

"Meaning _what_, Gibbs?"

"Meaning the only thing that matters now is that little girl."

Getting to her feet, Ziva stood stock still as she let her thoughts loose. "Gibbs, I can **not** be a part of this! My brother killed her mother! "

"You're right. You can't." Gibbs agreed with her.

"So, you _agree _with me?" She glared at him.

"If you can't put that behind you. You're damned right I do." He told her brusquely as he joined her where she stood.

"That is exactly my point, Gibbs! I will not be able to put it behind me if I, as you say, help Kate's daughter. What would I say to her when she asks me who I _am?_"

Looking into her eyes for a long silent minute, his head tilted while his eyes searched hers, he finally answered her, one hand reaching out to clasp her encouragingly on the shoulder. "Someone who wants to be her friend, Ziva."

******NCIS******

Nine the next morning found Tim and Gibbs back at the attorney's office, this time hell bent on getting some answers as to what would happen next and in what time-frame. Tim couldn't help but feel buoyed by the way last night turned out, once Ziva and Gibbs talked. When she'd come back inside and expressed her regret for her earlier snap to judgment at being kept out of the loop, she'd been quickly embraced by Abby and given understanding nods from the guys. And while she still had reservations that the idea of her trying to infiltrate the 4 year old's life was a good idea, she did vow to think about it while supporting them in their efforts in whatever other way they needed her to .

With the team's support behind him, although he wasn't quite sure of Abby's version of that support yet since she was still not speaking to him, Tim _almost_ felt like he could do this. As if reading his mind, the boss glared at him until he stood straighter and put the last shred of doubt away and his game face on.

Who was he kidding, with the team's support, he _absolutely_ could do this.


	10. Epilogue

_One Month Later_

Glancing over at his agent, currently trying to catnap in the passenger seat, Gibbs had to grin. It had been a very tiring four weeks, no doubt about it. He had been helping Tim with as many of the details as he could that involved getting ready to become Kathleen's guardian. That included making sure all pertinent questions were asked and answered by the lawyer, attending the court hearings with the younger man and even slowly introducing himself to Kathleen as a friend of her Mommy's. The court gave Tim four weeks to pull all the arrangements together and assume guardianship; to get everything done had been…a rather intense race against time! As promised, he helped Tim temporarily settle in with him while everything got ironed out.

Luckily, with Tim requesting a leave of absence specifically tailored for adoptive parents, squeezing time in around work had not been an issue. On his own, Tim met and spoke in depth with his new ward's pediatrician, the nanny who had taken care of Kathleen since the first business trip Thom had had to take after her birth, and even the lawyer's wife who was currently caring for the youngster. With increasing lengths of time spent with Kathleen and in learning what she liked to eat and all of her other likes and dislikes as well as her routine, there was little room for anything else. Even Jethro seemed to notice that his human wasn't around much and had begun to seek attention from Gibbs rather than Tim.

Three weeks ago, after watching the young man's dedication and tireless effort for nearly a week straight, the Team Leader sat him down and forced him to take a minute to breathe and some time to relax. Though Tim hadn't fought him on it, he had been quick to dive right back into his "to do" list with breakneck speed, working to get everything done and Gibbs had let him get to it, only prepared to step in when he deemed a break was necessary.

With all this going on, Tim was now spending longer and longer hours with Kathleen, establishing a new and hopefully solid relationship with the little girl. These visits exhausted him more than anything else but Tim had taken the boss's words to heart and allowed himself down time when he needed to. He may have had a sibling 8 years younger than him growing up, but it had been ages since he'd had to keep up with a preschooler's endless supply of energy.

Ever since he'd begun spending time with Kathleen, Tim had taken to talking to Gibbs about it at the end of the day, when his boss wasn't working late. Gibbs enjoyed hearing Tim's take on how things had gone with Kathleen, to whom he was fast becoming attached. They were both relieved and found a sense of peace in knowing that everyone new appearing in the little girl's life, even as briefly as the judge, spoke to her as a friend.

In order to let her know they weren't perfect strangers suddenly just showing up in her world, they introduced themselves to her as friends of her mommy's, since there were signs of Kate everywhere in her daughter's life. From photos of Kate and Thom in every room of the house, to pregnancy photos that mirrored the ones in the book, it was obvious that Thom McAllister had done his best to keep the memory of Kate alive for the daughter who had never gotten to meet her.

As beautiful as her mother, with her gorgeous mane of hair that perfectly matched Kate's and with the smile to match, Kathleen had innocently burrowed her way into Gibbs' heart the minute they'd met at the lawyer's office, that first morning after the team dinner.

With Tim standing beside him, he'd shackled his self-control and silently pushed the younger man to make the first move, to allow the visit to focus on the more important relationship that needed to be developed. He hadn't been able to hide the smile that fell to his lips as Tim had stammered his way through the introductions.

_***Flashback***_

"_Hi. Kathleen, My name's Tim."  
_  
"_Mommy's friend, Tim? The one in the picture?" The little girl asked with a smile that brightened the entire room. _

_While she waited for her answer, she pulled a photo from the toy purse she was carrying on her wrist, the edges worn and nearly torn, a testament to how much the photo was handled; of the team with Kate standing proudly among them. _

_"I broughted it with me when Nanny Cart told me you were comin' to see me today."_

"_Yes, your mommy's friend." Tim replied, smiling back at her as he carefully took the photo she offered and stared at it for a moment before giving it to the boss._

_Kathleen's face lit up brightly as she reached for Tim and gave him a big hug. As he gently hugged her back, he looked up and saw Gibbs approving look, despite the sad reminder presented them by the photo in his hand. _

_Tim knelt by the little girl whom he hoped the courts would allow him to raise. Regardless of the judge's decision, he had every intention of staying in her life now; to drop back out would be a cruelty she did not deserve. "Kathleen, there's another friend of your Mommy's here, his name is Gibbs." _

_Kathleen's smile appeared again as she reached out to Gibbs for a hug and said, "You're in the picture, too! Hi Gibbsy!" _

_As he hugged back, Gibbs sent a half-hearted glare at his junior agent's suppressed grin. _

_**End Flashback**_

These past three weeks had been busy for the entire team as they juggled work with spending time with Kathleen. After Tony, Ducky, Jimmy and Abby each met Kathleen separately, with Tim firmly entrenched by her side during each visit, today was the final step they needed to take. Once that was accomplished, the entire team would be on board to help and support Tim in caring for the little girl. Today was the day Ziva would meet Kate's daughter.

Gibbs knew it was a step that had kept Tim up late last night with worry, despite Ziva's reassurance that she was completely willing to meet Kathleen now that the other introductions were done. Everyone who had met her was already forming their own bond with her and now it was Ziva's turn. The new guardian was just not sure it would turn out as well as they were hoping, not because he lacked faith in Ziva but because she obviously did. Having had a fairly restless night himself, Gibbs had slipped downstairs for coffee, and noticed the younger man standing at the doors to the back porch, staring out into the night

Now, glancing over once more at his agent curled up against the car window, Gibbs sighed with tired relief. He knew this rest for Tim was hard won so he didn't treat him to the usual reward for sleeping in the car with Gibbs behind the wheel. That thought brought to mind the time he'd done that while Kate had been riding shotgun and he'd treated Tony to it. As the memory played out in full detail, he couldn't help but smile. It had been one of the funnier moments that year.

An excited series of _woofs_ from the back seat refocused his thoughts on the German shepherd currently making sure his presence hadn't been forgotten. With a smirk, the Team Leader greeted Tim's return to wakefulness. "Guess he's pretty excited to be included on this excursion."

Tiredly, Tim wiped his hand across his face and shifted in his seat to get comfortable. "Yeah, I'm just thankful Kathleen took to him so well."

"Not sure who was more upset about the muzzle, her or Abby." Gibbs remarked offhandedly, with a grin at the recollection of the four year old's outrage that _'the nice doggy had his mouth wrapped up'._

Tim's reply was all seriousness. "I know. I'm still leery of the whole idea though, Boss. It doesn't matter to me if Abby stays mad at me about it. I feel better knowing the muzzle's in my hands and easy to put on him if we need to."

"You're doin' fine, McGee. Abby'll get over it soon enough."

"I'm not so sure. I don't understand why she hasn't already." Tim muttered as he laid his head back and closed his eyes. "Not like anyone's trying to hurt him."

"She knows that, Tim. She's just …" Gibbs let the sentence drop.

"Being Abby." Tim finished. "Thanks for helping me with all this, Boss." Tim changed the subject. "I could never have done this without you."

"It was a team effort, McGee."

"No. I mean, I know that. But that's not what I'm saying." Letting out his breath in a frustrated rush, Tim looked away. "Never mind."

"I get it, McGee."

"I'm not sure you do, Boss. Understand how much I appreciate it, I mean." Tim glanced at him. "I never expected it. Not because you wouldn't want to; but because it means asking you to… I don't know…"

"Tim, Kathleen isn't replacing Kelly. Doesn't mean there isn't room for her." Gibbs told him quietly.

"That's my point, Boss. _That's_ what I appreciate the most."

"Like I said, McGee. I get it."

Tim nodded. "Okay."

Gibbs changed the subject. "You ready for the final hearing on Monday?"

"As ready as I can be. We've taken care of everything the judge required. Everything that's been set up in the family business for control measures will stay the same so Kathleen's inheritance isn't in any danger. Everything else in her life is staying the same, except us. I think as long as the judge sees for himself that she's comfortable with us, he'll sign off on the final paperwork."

"You gonna move into the house as soon as he does?"

"I thought I should. You know, get her back on a routine. Kids thrive on it. I'm just glad I'll be able to include you guys in that routine. Maybe start getting together for dinner on Sunday nights at Kathleen's or something."

"It'll be your place, too, McGee."

"I know, Boss. But it won't feel like it. Doesn't mean I won't like it there though."

"Mm-mmm. Still planning on transferring off my team? "

"Not unless I have to, Boss. But for Kathleen's sake, I think I'll start wearing a Kevlar."

"Not a bad idea, McGee. You work that out with the nanny?"

"Oh, yeah. She's got another two weeks off until I have to go back anyway. So everything's worked out, Boss."

When they reached the lawyer's home where Kathleen was still staying, Tim hopped out of the car to get the little girl. He had told her he had a special surprise for her today and to be ready for a day in the park. As he walked in the door, she ran to him and hugged him tightly.

Hugging her back, he smiled at his little girl, "Are you ready for your surprise?"

Grinning widely, the little girl nodded, "Yep, Tim, let's GO!"

Taking her hand, the two walked to the car and Tim buckled her into her safety seat. She waved to "Gibbsy" in the front seat and then spotted Jethro in the back of the car and called hello to him, giggling.

"Is Jethro my surprise?"

"He's part of it, sweet pea!"

They drove to the park and found a parking space near Ziva's car. As Tim helped Kathleen climb out of the car, he held her for a minute.

"Sweet pea, you know how all the people you've met, Ducky, Tony, Jimmy and Abby, were all friends of your mommy's?"

At her nod, he continued. "Today we're going to have lunch and play with another friend of mine and Gibbsy's," he said, feeling bold and ignoring the death glare he was sure he was getting from his boss. "She didn't know your mommy. We didn't get to know her until later. She works with us now, just like the others and she wants to get to know you too!"

"Ok. What's her name?" Kathleen asked.

"Ziva"

"Seeva?"

"Almost, here, try putting your tongue like this, watch…zzzz" Tim demonstrated as Kathleen laughed.

"Ok, Daddy, I can do it. ZZZiva!"

Tim, trying not to look as stunned as he felt by her calling him Daddy, could only look to Gibbs for help. Of course the man jumped right in.

"That's right, Katydid, Ziva!"

Jethro took that moment to remind his people he was still penned in the back of the SUV and would appreciate being let out, now please. Tim regained his senses and put his hand out for his little girl to take,

"That was great, sweetie, c'mon, let's get Jethro out of the car and go meet Ziva!"

After giving his new favorite human a big doggie smile, Jethro behaved himself as he led his family into the park. When he spotted another favorite of his, he gave a happy bark and pranced a little. Kathleen giggled again, saying, "Ziva must be nice, Daddy, Jethro really likes her!"

Tim swallowed and smiled brightly at his child, "She's a very special person, sweet pea."

Ziva had been sitting on the picnic bench, waiting and rose when she saw the group approaching. Wiping her hands nervously, she walked towards her friends and Kate's daughter.

Kathleen, detaching herself from Tim's hand, skipped up to Ziva and said

"Hi Ziva, I'm Kathleen. I like your name, it's fun to say!" Standing in front of Ziva, the little girl politely held out her hand to shake.

Ziva, swallowing past a crump, bump? no, lump in her throat, smiled at the lovely little girl, reached out, took her hand and shook it gently.

"Hello Kathleen! I like your name too, it has a wonderful sound to it and I am very happy to meet you!"

"Do you want to come play fetch with me n' Jethro?" She turned and looked at Tim,

"Is that alright Daddy, she's a grow'up like you and Gibbsy, isn't she?"

"Yes, sweet pea, she is." Tim had decided to just go with the flow with the "Daddy" issue and try his very best not to worry about it. _Really. Time to concentrate on Ziva and Kathleen; see how well they're doing! She called me Daddy again, is that alright, isn't it too so…NO Ziva and Kathleen, FOCUS, McGee!_

Gibbs stepped up, "Tell you what, why don't I take him for a potty break first, then you can play fetch with him."

"Ok Gibbsy!" Said the little girl, still holding Ziva's hand and now swinging their arms.

Ziva gave a start at her boss's new nickname and barely contained a snort of laughter. She sobered, then gave a quick nod when Tim caught her eye and held up the bag that she knew contained Jethro's muzzle. She hoped it would not be necessary, but she would be extra vigilant guarding the safety of this wonderful little girl, her new friend.

******NCIS******

By late morning, the rest of the team had arrived, had greeted Kathleen and casually gotten busy with something that either would or would not garner her attention, in a deliberate ploy to not only keep from smothering her, but also keep her entertained and opening up to new ideas while getting to know them. As Jimmy and Tony played a rather high-spirited game of Frisbee with each other, Tim and Ducky set up a chess board on the picnic table and were dividing their attention between it and Kathleen's unending excited energy as she danced to the noise on Abby's personal cd player and in the meanwhile cheered Tony and Jimmy on in turn, obviously having no favorite just yet.

As lunch time arrived, games were put away and the coolers brought out and before too long, everyone was sitting down to self-made sandwiches, pre-packaged cold salads and chilled bottled water. The latter having been Tim's request since he hadn't wanted to either entice Kathleen with sodas or have everyone drink them in front of her. Even with everyone looking at him like he was crazy for even thinking such a thing, he hadn't changed his mind, much to the amusement of his teammates.

Once the lively lunch was over, Tim shook the blanket out and encouraged Kathleen to stretch out with him, claiming he, at least, needed a nap. As she giggled at the thought of a grownup needing a nap, she snuggled with him, making sure Jethro was taking a nap with her, one of her hands on his soft fur at his collar.

With a silent plea to the others that they stay watchful and keep the muzzle handy, Tim succumbed to the exhaustion he'd been unable to catch up with lately.

******NCIS******

The sound of Kathleen's priceless laughter woke him sometime later and Tim was quick to sit up and look around him. Safe and sound, not twenty feet away, his team were all smiles as Kathleen hugged Jethro, one of her little arms wrapped around his neck with no sign of fear or worry. "Now, you have to stay, Jethro so we can go swing." The perky preschooler gently admonished the German shepherd.

Tim swore he could see the dog's ears move as if he was actually understanding everything she said. With a smile on his face, he watched as the little girl that was almost his, walked up to where all of them were sitting and stopped in front of Ziva with her hand outstretched, hope in her eyes and a question. "Will you come swing with me?"

Tim watched as together they walked hand in hand to the swings, trailed by everyone but Gibbs and Ducky, and smiled happily.

Y_ep, this was going to work out just fine!_

_~~FINIS~~_

* * *

_A/N:_ **_A very special "THANK YOU" goes out to every single reader and reviewer - all of whose insightful thoughts and comments were most helpful and appreciated. _**

**_Again, thank you!_**

**To my BETA - Gottahavemyncis - you rock! Couldn't have done this without you. THANK YOU!**


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